Kiln — corn-drying in Baltrasna (ratoath By.)

After the silting of the original field drains (ME045-033----), large pits (ME045-033001-) were dug at one point, but further E two corn-drying kilns were established close together. A keyhole kiln (dims 3.47m x 1.98m; D 0.31m) with a large bowl (diam. 2m) at N had two charcoal-rich fills but no evidence of in situ burning. There was evidence of wheat, barley and oats, and a sherd of Frechen Stoneware in the secondary fill indicates a sixteenth or seventeenth century date, although this sherd might be intrusive from the topsoil. Just 8m to the W and in a separate early modern field (ME045-033002-), was a second kiln, an oval pit (dims 3.52m E-W; 0.9m N-S; D 0.4m) with a well-defined firing bowl and evidence of in situ firing at the E end. A shallow cut (diam. 0.9m; D 0.3m) with three fairly sterile fills was attached to the S edge of the pit at the centre, but a sample from an ash twig from this yielded a C14 date of 1490-1660 cal. AD. Each of the kilns had a small pit (dim. 0.4-0.9m; D 0.08m) c. 2-2.5m to the S. (Fallon 2009, 45-8) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 17 December 2021