Cist in Knockadea

The location of three cinerary urns discovered in May of 1929 in the townland of Knockadea has been recently identified by local historian, Nioclàs Ó Duinnín. The discovery of this burial site was described by Power (1931, 55-6) as follows; ‘ These were unearthed in May, 1929, at base of a clay-and-stone fence close to the Co. Cork boundary, by a labourer (in the employment of Mr. William Brazil Lee) as he was engaged in repairs of the "ditch." Although other urns (one of them is in the National Museum) had previously been found in the same field the present workman was unfortunately unaware of the pottery's value, and it was not until he had broken all three objects into pieces that the owner of the farm came on the scene. Mr. Lee collected the scattered fragments of the least injured vessel and, later, when the writer visited the place, the remains of a second urn (food vessel) were rescued together with some nearly hopeless particles of a third. The first urn and the food vessel have been restored by Miss E. Barnes and, of the third vessel, portion of the rim has been reconstructed - enough to indicate diameter and general character of the pot. When found the fully restored burial urn lay mouth downwards, with a quantity (about two " fist-fulls") of ashes and calcined bones underneath. This vessel is an unusually fine specimen of its class -18" [0.45m] in height by 12" [0.3m] and 5" [0.12m] diameter at mouth and base respectively – and the outline is relieved by two raised bands which divide the whole surface into three panels or storeys, of which one only - the topmost - carries ornament. Decoration in question is an etched pattern of multiple chevron, alternately inverted and averted. The raised bands, hoops or fillets are important; at first I was inclined to regard them as having been worked outwards from the material of the pot by hand pressure or kneading of the soft clay; possibly, however, they are true incrustations - that is, strips of paste added to the vessel subsequent to moulding, but before firing. The material is rather coarse, but well-burnt, and the urn is now of a good ochraceous brown in its lower part and black, or at least very dark hued, towards the mouth. The lip, which is thin, straight and sharp edged, has, beneath it, a triple band of fine moulding. The food vessel was found in the same cist with the burial urn just described; it stands 4½" [0.11m[ high with a diameter, at the mouth, of 5" [0.12m] and the ware is of unusual delicacy with ornament to match. The little vessel must, in fact, have been the fine china or Belleek ware of its period; its minute ornament is a criss-cross etched all over and, necessarily, by a finely pointed pin. In shape the little urn is a kind of prolato-spheroid with a slightly depressed and moulded waist (shoulder groove or neck) about 2" [0.05m] below the rim. Unfortunately it was not possible to reconstruct the beautiful little vessel in its entirety and unfortunately also, our photograph does not succeed in bringing out the delicate detail. Enough has, however, been recovered to indicate shape and lines. Our third urn of strictly burial type - was of coarser and thicker ware than either of the others. Owing to smallness of the shreds into which the finder succeeded in reducing it has been impossible to reconstruct more than an arc of the mouth. This shows that the urn was of great girth - 14" [0.35m] diameter at the rim, and that the lip was of the same type as the lip of its companion No. I. As the cists (or cist) had been already entirely destroyed when I first visited the place I am unable to describe them (or it) very definitely. There appear (nothing more definite can be said) to have been two chambers, in one of which were urns Nos. I. and II, and in the other the broken No. Ill. The definitely certain chamber was small and fined by rather small flagstones, notwithstanding the great size of the urn (No. I). From the accounts given I could not make up my mind as to existence of a second compartment; indeed it looks as if No. Ill might have been a reinterment - someone had previously disturbed the urn and, dreading unpleasant consequences, had reburied it. Within two or three hundred paces of our urn-field are two hitherto unrecorded dolmens’. Urns now located in Cork Museum was described by Kavanagh (1976, 367) as; ‘Found while repairing a ditch. The Urn (H 36cm x R.D. 30cm x B.D. 12cm) was inverted and accompanied by a Food Vessel, all contained in a cist. The large vessel contained cremated bones, but as the burial was disturbed by the workmen further details were not recorded. Reverend Power suggests the presence of a third vessel in this burial, but as there is some confusion between the finds from Kilwatermoy, Co. Waterford and those from Knockadea it is difficult to establish the correct details. This is a rather lop-sided vessel encircled by two cordons. The first cordon is very pronounced in places while elsewhere it is of average size. The second cordon is moulded into the body, although still quite distinct. The rim is bevelled internally but undecorated. External decoration is limited to the area between the rim and first cordon. It takes the form of a filled chevron motif in impressed cord. This is framed by three fines of cord impressions immediately below the rim and two further lines on the upper side of the first cordon. The cord impression is broad and in places the motif is carelessly arranged. The ware is pink to grey in colour with dark grey patches. It is coarse but compact. The Food Vessel associated with this vessel is of unusual shape. It has a 'collar ' with a waisting immediately under it. It is decorated with incised patterns’. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by James O'Brien and Nioclàs Ó Duinnín Date of revised upload: 21 February 2022