Mill — threshing in Phoenixtown

Situated on a slight E-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape. An area of intense agricultural processing was first identified in 2004 in centre-line testing (04E0923) on the M3 motorway, and set aside for resolution as Phoenixtown 2 (Keith 2007). A geophysical survey (02R058) highlighted the complexity of the material (Bartlett 2002), and subsequently a large area (dims c. 100m NW-SE; c. 45m NE-SW) within the way-leave was excavated (E003129) in 2006 and 2007 (Lyne 2010, 2010a). The principal feature revealed was an E-W roadway, together with five corn-drying kilns, a threshing floor, a well and water-hole, and the corner of a house in the immediate vicinity of the road. On ceramic evidence all the features date from the late twelfth to the fourteenth century, but the area was cut by numerous large pits (diam. c. 2-3m; D 0.3-0.9m to dims c. 6-9m x c. 2-3m; D 1m) and many smaller ones which contained a mix of largely local medieval wares, dating generally to the same period. There was very little intrusive material, although prehistoric lithics do occur (ibid. 27-34, 39-48). There were also numerous furrows, generally aligned N-S or E-W that cut through most other features over the area and represent the last activity on the site (ibid. 48-55) but the ceramics recovered date generally to the thirteenth and fourteenth century. The earliest features are some disjointed sections of field boundaries with associated plough furrows (ibid. 5). (Lyne 2008) The name Phoenixtown is derived from the Irish Baile na bhfionnóg – town of the (grey?) crow - which was anglicised as Finnogestown (Murphy 2010, ccxii). The barony of Lower Navan was granted by Hugh de Lacy to Jocelin de Angulo at the start of the Anglo-Norman settlement of Meath in 1172, but there is no record of the initial sub-infeudation. In 1318 the manor of Martry, which was probably as large as the medieval parish, had reverted to the King because its holder, Walter de Say, was guilty of a felony, probably committed during the Bruce campaign (1314-18). Martry was granted to Hugh de Turpelton, but in 1324 possession had passed to Miles de Verdon. An inquisition into the value of Marty at this time mentions Fenokston for the first time, and amongst the free tenants David Beg, Adam Beg, and Richard Lewati hold a carucate of land (c. 300 acres) at Fenokston, and these families were probably the owners of the agricultural enterprise in the excavated area. The ownership of the manor of Martry is uncertain for the rest of the century but by 1415 it had passed to the Darcy family. However, the Beg name recurs in documents through the fourteenth century (ibid. ccix). The centre of the traction mill (ext. diam. 12m) is c. 23m NE of the N edge of the road at the nearest point and it is surrounded by corn-drying kilns. At its centre is a circular area (diam. 3m) which would have held the lower millstone while the upper stone, sitting over a pintle fixed to the lower, would have been turned by a horizontal beam connected to wheel, which in turn was drawn by a mule or ox walking around in a circle (ext. diam. c. 11-12m). Outside the site of the lower stone was a ridge of redeposited soil (Wth 1.3m; H 0.18m) that was protected by the lever but the walkway developed into a distinct trench (Wth 2.9m; D 0.4m) filled with mixed clays that have spreads of stones added in places to provide traction for the draught animal. A channel (Wth 0.7m; D 0.22m) on the inner edge of this was for the wheel attached to the boom lever. There were two redeposited layers at the centre with some prehistoric lithics but a grain sample from here produced a calibrated C14 date of AD 1279-1392, while a wheat grain from the wheel-rut has a calibrated C14 date of AD 1445-1615. See the attached plan from Lyne (2010, Fig. 8) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 11 July 2019