1. Eachtra JournalIssue 13[ISSN 2009-2237] Archaeological Excavation Report E3661 - Busherstown, Co. OffalyEarly medieval kilns and medieval moated site with associated annexe

2. b 3. EACHTRAArchaeological ProjectsArchaeological Excavation ReportBusherstownCo. OffalyEarly medieval kilns and medieval moated site withassociated annexe. Date: February 2012 Client: Laois County Council and National Roads AuthorityProject: N7 Castletown to Nenagh (Contract 1) E No: E3661Excavation Director: Tori McMorranWritten by: Ewelina Chrobak, Jacinta Kiely and Tori McMorran 4. Archaeological Excavation ReportBusherstown Co. Offaly Excavation Director Tori McMorran Written By Ewelina Chrobak, Jacinta Kiely and Tori McMorran EACHTRA Archaeological Projects CORKGALWAY The Forge, Innishannon, Co. CorkUnit 10, Kilkerrin Park, Liosbain Industrial Estate, Galwaytel: 021 4701616 | web: www.eachtra.ie | email: info@eachtra.ietel: 091 763673 | web: www.eachtra.ie | email: galway@eachtra.ie 5. Eachtra Archaeological Projects 2012The Forge, Innishannon, Co CorkSet in 12pt GaramondPrinted in Ireland 6. Table of Contents Summary vii Acknowledgementsviii1 Scopeoftheproject 12 Routelocation 13 Receivingenvironment 34 Archaeologicalandhistoricalbackground 4 Mesolithic(c8000to4000BC) 4 Neolithic(c4000to2000BC) 4 BronzeAge(c2000to600BC) 4 IronAge(c500BCtoAD500) 5 Earlymedievalperiod(cAD400to1100) 5 Highandlatermedievalperiods(cAD1100to1650) 7 Post-medievalperiod(c1650tothepresent) 7 5 SitelocationandTopography 76 ArchaeologicalandHistoricalSetting 107 Excavationmethodology 118 Excavationresults 15 Phase1Prehistoric16 Phase2Earlymedievalactivity18 Phase3High/Latemedieval(firstphase) 48 Phase4High/Latemedieval(secondphase)53 Phase5Moatedsite55 Phase6Modernactivity599 SpecialistResults64 Plantremains 64 Lithicartefacts 64 Metalartefacts65 Animalbone65 Humanremains65 Archaeometallurgy 66 Geophysical 66 Quernstones 66 Charcoal 66i 7. Radiocarbondates 66 10 Conclusion68 NeolithicandBronzeAgeactivity 68 Earlymedievalactivity69 Earlymedievalenclosure70 Highmedievalperiod72 Moatedsite73 11 References 76 Appendix1 StratigraphicIndex 79 Appendix2 SiteMatrix80 Appendix3 GroupsandSubgroups 87 Appendix4 PlantRemains154 Appendix5 LithicsFindsReport172 Appendix6 MetalArtefacts179 Appendix7 AnimalBoneReport182 Appendix8 Osteologicalreport194 Appendix9 MetallurgyReport201 Appendix10 GeophysicalReport 204 Appendix11 QuernstoneReport 219ii 8. List of FiguresFigure1: The route of the N7 Castletown to Nenagh overlain on the Ordnance Survey DiscoverySeriesmap 2Figure2: The route of the N7 Castletown to Nenagh overlain on the Ordnance Survey DiscoverySeriesmapwithalltheexcavationsitesmarked 6Figure3: Portion of the Ist edition Ordnance Survey Map OF47 showing the location of Busherstown 8Figure4: TopographyoftheareaaroundBusherstown 9Figure5: Location and extent of Busherstown E3661 on the N7 Castletown to Nenagh Notethelocationofthestream 12Figure6: PostexcavationplanofBusherstown 14Figure7: Post-excavationplanofStructureAatBusherstown 16Figure8: Post-excavationplanofditchesC447andC68atBusherstown 17Figure9: SectionplansofditchesC68,C63,C447andC78/127atBusherstown 19Figure10: Post-excavation plan of kilns, location of firing bowl of kilns illustrated, atBusherstown21Figure11: SectionplanofkilnsC97andC74atBusherstown27Figure12: PlanofkilnsC90andC97andassociatedshelterbeltatBusherstown29Figure13: Post-excavationplanofkilnslocatedinthenorthernpartofthesiteatBusherstown30Figure14: SectionplanofkilnC355andpitC1043atBusherstown40Figure15: Post-excavationplanofBuildingsCandDwithinmoatedsiteatBusherstown40Figure16: Post-excavationplanofStructuresEandFatBusherstown46Figure17: Section plans of ditches C246/C273 and C277 and ditches C54 and C277 atBusherstown49Figure18: Post-excavationplanofthemedievalenclosureandmoatedsiteatBusherstown52Figure19: Post-excavationplanofthemoatedsiteatBusherstown54Figure20: SectionplansoftheditchC44ofthemoatedsite57Figure21: SectionplanofditchC8andC19atBusherstown58Figure22: PlanofgeophysicaltestingatBusherstown(Earthsound)60Figure23: Aerial photography of Busherstown showing the extent of moated site in theadjoiningfieldoutsidetheroadcorridor 61iii 9. List of Plates Plate1:ViewofBusherstownfromnorth 13 Plate2:FlintscraperE3661:1:5fromBusherstown 15 Plate3:BuildingAfromsouth-westatBusherstown 18 Plate4:QuernstoneE3661:71:1fromBusherstown20 Plate5:KilnC74(inforeground)andkilnC30fromNWatBusherstown23 Plate6:KilnC74fromNEatBusherstown24 Plate7:Mid-excavationviewofkilnC97inforegroundandkilnC90inbackgroundatBusherstown26 Plate8:StonelininginkilnC90fromeastatBusherstown33 Plate9:BonepinE3661:735:1fromBusherstown34 Plate10: Mid-excavationviewofkilnC872atBusherstown36 Plate11: Kiln989inditchC54atBusherstown37 Plate12: ViewofBuildingBandkilnC490inbackgroundfromnorthatBusherstown43 Plate13: ViewofinteriorofmoatedsiteandditchC44atBusherstown44 Plate14: ViewofStructureEandkilnsC30andC74fromnorth-eastatBusherstown47 Plate15: SEfacingsectionofenclosureditchesC54,C277andC447atBusherstown50 Plate16: View of mid excavation of ditch C68 from south, excavated ditches C54 (inforeground)andC78(inmiddleground)andkiln18951 Plate17: Mid-excavationviewofditchC44ofmoatedsiteatBusherstown56 Plate18: Viewofsouth-easterncornerofmoatedsite,StructureD,andditchesC8(left)andC68(right)inmiddlebackgroundatBusherstown59 Plate19: Edward1longpennyE3661:3:1fromBusherstown62iv 10. List of TablesTable1Dimensionsandorientationof17cereal-dryingkilns24Table2Dimensionsandorientationof7truncatedcereal-dryingkilns 39Table3NumberanddateofbuildingslocatedatBusherstown42Table4DimensionsoftheslottrenchesassociatedwithStructureD44Table5Dimensionsofthefourlargepits45Table6Phaseofditchesassociatedwithenclosureandannexeofmoatedsite48Table7RadiocarbondatesfromBusherstown67Table8: Relativeabundanceofthemaindomesticanimals73 v 11. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportvi 12. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/SummaryArchaeological excavation of the site at Busherstown revealed a complex multi-period sitewith six phases of activity. In broad outline they confirmed the use of the area from theEarly Neolithic period to the present time. The first period of activity was prehistoric indate and comprised a small assemblage of lithics and a circular structure (Structure A)dated on typological grounds to the Bronze Age. The second phase was dated to the earlymedieval period, when the area was used for cereal processing, as evidenced by the discov-ery of at least 17 cereal-drying kilns and a further seven possible kilns. The majority of thekilns were located in a line that extended for a distance of 80 m in a NW-SE direction.The firing chambers of the kiln were for the most part located at the NE. A small numberof the kilns were partially enclosed (Structures D and E). The third phase of activity wasdefined by an enclosure (ditches C.68 and 447) which was probably contemporary withthe cereal processing. The continuous use of the area of the enclosure in the medieval pe-riod was confirmed when certain areas of the site were enclosed through the constructionof deep, wide ditches (ditches C.54 and C.63). The ditches (ditches C.227 and C.78) werere-cut in the later medieval period to function as an annexe to a moated site. A substan-tial ditch, 5.5 m wide by 1.7 m deep, defined the moated site. Only the southern cornerof the moated site was located within the road corridor. However, the entire outline canbe clearly seen in aerial photographs of the adjoining field to the north-east. Two struc-tures (C and D) were contemporary with the moated site. The post-medieval period wasrepresented by a large number of furrows crossing the site and material which had beendumped into the top fills of the ditches. The site was levelled in the recent past.Road project nameN7 Castletown to NenaghSite nameBusherstownE no.E3661Site directorTory Mc MorranTownland BusherstownParish CastletownelyCounty OffalyBarony ClonliskOS Map Sheet No. Offaly 47National Grid Reference20479 / 181806Elevation145 m OD vii 13. Acknowledgements The project was commissioned by Laois County Council and was funded by the Na- tional Roads Authority under the National Development Plan (2000-2006). The project archaeologist was Niall Roycroft. Kildare County Council supervised the archaeological contract with RE staff of Pat Dowling and Colum Fagan. Kildare County Council Sen- ior Executive Engineer was Joseph Kelly and Kildare County Council Senior Engineer was John Coppinger. The senior archaeologist was John Tierney and the post-excavation manager was Jacinta Kiely. Illustrations are by Maurizio Toscano, photographs by John Sunderland and Eagle Photography and aerial photography by StudioLab. Specialist anal- ysis was carried out by Anne Carey, Mary Dillon, Earthsound Geophysics, Jonny Geber, Penny Johnston, Margaret McCarthy, rla Scully, Farina Sternke, Tim Young and the 14 Chrono Centre at Queens University Belfast.viii 14. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/1 Scope of the projectEachtra Archaeological Projects were commissioned by Laois County Council and theNational Roads Authority to undertake archaeological works along 17.1 km (Contact1) of the 35km N7 Castletown to Nenagh (Derrinsallagh to Ballintotty) national roadscheme (EIS approved in November 2005). The scheme runs from the eastern junctionof the present N7 Nenagh Bypass, North Tipperary a tie in to the M7/M8 Portlaoise-Castletown scheme to the south of Borris-in-Ossory in County Laois. The scheme is ap-proximately 191 hectares. Contract 1 comprises the western half of the scheme and runsfrom Clashnevin to Castleroan passing along the Tipperary North and Offaly countyborder regions. The Ministers Direction Number is A38.It was funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The total archaeological cost was administered by the National Roads Authoritythrough Laois County Council as part of the Authoritys commitment to protecting ourcultural heritage. The purpose of the archaeological services project was to conduct ar-chaeological site investigations within the lands made available for the scheme and toassess the nature and extent of any new potential archaeological sites uncovered.Phase 1 of the project (archaeological testing of the route) was carried out in 2007under licence E3371, E3372 and E3375-8 issued by Department of the Environment Her-itage and Local Government (DoEHLG) in consultation with the National Museumof Ireland. The principal aim of this phase of the project was to test for any previouslyunknown sites by a programme of centreline and offset testing and to test sites of archaeo-logical potential identified in the EIS.Phase 2 of the project (resolution) involved the resolution of all archaeological sitesidentified within the proposed road corridor prior to commencement of the constructionof the road. This phase of the project was carried out from June 2007 to February 2008and excavations were conducted under the management of a Senior Archaeologist. A totalof 27 sites were excavated during this phase of works under separate licences issued byDoEHLG.A post-excavation assessment and strategy document was prepared in Phase 3 of theproject to present a management strategy for dealing with post-excavation work aris-ing from archaeological works along the route of the new N7 Castletown to Nenagh. Itincluded a proposal for post-excavation and archiving work and a budget for the works.2 Route locationThe route of the N7 Castletown to Nenagh road is located in Counties North Tipperaryand Offaly (OF) (Figure 1). The project (Contract 1) involves the construction of c. 17.5km of the N7 from Clashnevin east of Nenagh to Castleroan south-east of Dunkerrin. Itpasses through the townlands of Clashnevin, Derrybane, Newtown, Lissanisky, Killeisk,Garavally, Derrycarney, Garrynafanna, Gortnadrumman, Kilgorteen, Falleen, Knock-ane, Clash, Park, Rosdremid (OF), Clynoe (OF), Cullenwaine, Moneygall, Greenhills,1 15. 182550 198900 2152502193300 193300!(NenaghiSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 Derg (Lough)182950 182950172600 172600 05 10 182550 198900 Kilometres 215250 Figure1: TherouteoftheN7CastletowntoNenaghoverlainontheOrdnanceSurveyDiscoverySeriesmaparchaEological Excavation rEport 16. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Drumbaun, Busherstown (OF), Drumroe (OF), Moatquarter, Loughan (OF) and Cas-tleroan (OF). The townlands are located in the parishes of Ballymackey, Cullenwaine,Castletownely, Rathnaveoge, Finglas and Dunkerrin and the baronies of Upper Ormond,Ikerrin and Clonisk,The route begins at the eastern end of the Nenagh bypass at Clashnevin c. 5 km eastof Nenagh and continues eastward on the northern side of the existing N7 in Co. Tip-perary. It crosses a number of third class roads to the north of Toomyvara and 0.7 kmeast of Clash crossroads crosses the Ollatrim River. It extends into County Offaly directlyeast of Park. From here it crosses the R490 0.6 km north of Moneygall. It extends backin County Tipperary and through the demesne of Greenhills before crossing the existingN7 at the junction of Greenhills and Drumbaun townlands. It crosses back into CountyOffaly and climbs east into Busherstown and Drumroe. It crosses the Keeloge Streaminto Moatquarter in County Tipperary and extends northeast back into County Offalythrough the townlands of Loughan and Castleroan 1.4 km southwest of Dunkerrin.3 Receiving environmentNorth Tipperary is bounded on the west by the River Shannon and Lough Derg withthe Silvermines, to the south, and small hills extending towards Devilsbit and BorrisnoeMountains to the east. The mountains are composed largely of Silurian strata and OldRed Sandstone. Copper, silver and lead deposits have been mined in the Silvermines. Thegeology of the lowlands consists of Carboniferous limestone covered by glacial drift inaddition to tracts of raised bog.The western portion of the study area is drained by the Ollatrim River which flowswestwards into the River Ballintotty which in turns drains into the River Nenagh. Theeastern portion is drained by the Keeloge Stream and other small water sources. These risein the foothills of the Silvermine Mountains and flow north. The Keeloge drains into theLittle Brosna River c. 1 km south of Shinrone, Co Offaly. The Brosna turns north anddrains into the Shannon south of Banagher.The largest population centre in the area is Nenagh. The smaller population centres,are Toomyvara, Moneygall and Dunkerrin.The soils on the route are characterised by 80% grey brown podzolics, 10% gleys, 5%brown earths and 5% basis peat. They are derived from glacial till of predominantly Car-boniferous limestone composition. These soils occur in Tipperary and Offaly and have awide use range being suitable for both tillage and pasture (Gardiner and Radford 1980,97-99). Land use along the route was a mix of grassland devoted to intensive dairying andcattle-rearing and tillage.3 17. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEport4Archaeological and historical backgroundArchaeological sites of numerous periods were discovered along the route of the new road(Figure 2). The periods are referred to as follows: Mesolithic (c. 8000 to 4000 BC), Neo-lithic (c. 4000 to 2000 BC), Bronze Age (c. 2000 to 600 BC), and Iron Age (c. 500 BCto AD 500), early medieval period (c. AD 500 to 1100), medieval period (c. AD 1100 to1650), post-medieval period (c. AD 1650 to the present).Mesolithic (c. 8000 to 4000 BC)The earliest known human settlement in Ireland dates from the Mesolithic period (c.8000 BC - 4000 BC). The majority of the evidence (flint scatters) for Mesolithic occupa-tion has come from the river valleys. No evidence for the Mesolithic was recorded on theroute.Neolithic (c. 4000 to 2000 BC)The Neolithic Period is characterised by the introduction of agriculture and the begin-nings of the clearance of the woodlands. The population increased and became moresedentary in nature. The most important Neolithic site in the vicinity was at Tullahedyrecorded on the route of the Nenagh by-pass. It was a specialist chert arrow manufactur-ing site.No evidence for a Neolithic site was recorded on the route but stone tools dating tothe Neolithic were recorded at Busherstown E3661, Clash E3660, Cullenwaine E3741and Greenhills 2 and 3 E3637 and E3658. Stone tools dating to the late Neolithic/EarlyBronze Age were recorded at Busherstown E3661, Castleroan E3909, Cullenwaine E3741,Derrybane 1 E3585, Drumroe E3773, Greenhills 1 E3638 and Moatquarter E3910. Neo-lithic pottery was recorded at Cullenwaine E3741 and Drumbaun E3912.Bronze Age (c. 2000 to 600BC)The Bronze Age is characterised by the introduction of metallurgy and an increase insettlement and burial sites. Copper ores were mined and copper, bronze and gold itemsmanufactured. The range of burial site types includes cist graves, pit and urn burials,cremation cemeteries, barrows, ring-ditches and wedge tombs. Stone circles and stand-ing stones also date to the Bronze Age. Both enclosed and unenclosed settlement sites areknown. The most prolific Bronze Age site type is the fulacht fiadh. These monumentssurvive as low mounds of charcoal rich black silt, packed with heat-shattered stones, andgenerally situated close to a water source. Fulachta fiadh are generally classified as cook-ing places, whereby stones were heated in a hearth and subsequently placed in a troughof water, the water continued to boil with the addition of hot stones and wrapped foodwas cooked within the hot water. The trough eventually filled with small stones, ash andcharcoal that were removed, forming the basis of the familiar mound.4 18. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/ Two new fulachta fiadh or burnt mounds were recorded at Clashnevin 1 E3586,Cullenwaine E3741 and six at three separate locations in Greenhills, E3638, E3637 andE3658. Evidence of nine roundhouses or partial round structures were recorded; two atCastleroan E3909, Derrybane 2 E3591 and Drumbaun 2 E3912 and one at Clash E3660,Drumroe E3773 and Moatquarter E3910.Iron Age (c. 500 BC to AD 500)Up to recently there was little evidence of a significant Iron Age presence in Munster.Settlement sites are few and far between as well as being difficult to identify (Woodman,2000) while the material culture of this period is limited. Linear earthworks, believedto have marked tribal boundaries, and hillforts are two of the most visible monumentsof the period. Ten percent of sites excavated on NRA road schemes in recent years haveproduced Iron Age dates. The dates have led to the identification of 30 new Iron Age sitesin Munster from road schemes in counties Cork, Limerick and Tipperary (McLaughlin2008, 51). These include a ditched enclosure in Ballywilliam and a wooden trackway inAnnaholty Bog excavated on the route of the N7 Nenagh-Limerick (Taylor 2008, 54).Three Iron Age dates were returned from pits in Castleroan E3909 and DrumroeE3773 on the route of the N7 Castletown to Nenagh (Contract 1).Early medieval period (c. AD 400 to 1100)The early medieval period is characterised by the arrival of Christianity to Ireland. Thecharacteristic monument type of the period is the ringfort. Ringforts are the most nu-merous archaeological monument found in Ireland, with estimates of between 30,000and 50,000 illustrated on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey 6 maps of the 1840s(Barry 1987). As a result of continued research, the construction of these monuments hasa narrow date range during the early medieval period between the 7th and 9th centuriesAD. Although there are some very elaborate examples of ringforts, they often take theform of a simple earth or stone enclosure functioning as settlements for all classes of secu-lar society (Stout 1997). North Tipperary is rich in early ecclesiastical sites and the remains of these religiouscentres are at the core of some of the towns and villages. Roscrea, for example, was chosenby St Cronan as a location for his monastery in the seventh century as it was located atthe crossroads on the Slighe Dla, an important roadway in early medieval times (NIAH2006, 4-8). Early medieval activity was recorded at five sites on the route of the N7 Castletownto Nenagh (Contract 1). A series of cereal-drying kilns were recorded at BusherstownE3661. A denuded ringfort (OF046-013) was excavated at Clynoe 2 E3774. An area ofiron-working and associated pits was recorded at Drumbaun E3912. Iron working activ-ity, cereal-drying kilns and settlement activity was recorded at Park 1 E3659. A group ofpits and associated ditch were recorded at Drumroe E3773. 5 19. 190400 196200 2020002078006 Busherstown 1186400 186400 Castleroan 1 E 3909Busherstown 1 E 3661 Loughan 1iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237E 4000 Greenhills 3 E 3658 Culleenwaine 1 Moneygall 2 E 3741E 3635Moatquarter 1Clynoe 2 E 3910 E 3774181800 181800 Park 1Drumroe 1 GarravallyKilgorteen 1E 3659 E 3773E 3589 E 3739 Drumbaun 2 Derrybane 2 E 3912 E 3591Greenhills 1 Greenhills 2 E 3638 E 3637Clashnevin 2 E 3590Clash 1 Park 2 E 3660E 3772 Derrycarney 1E 3740Clashnevin 1 Derrybane 1Killeisk 1 E 3586E 3585E 3587177200 17720003 6Kilometres 190400 196200 202000207800 Figure2: TherouteoftheN7CastletowntoNenaghoverlainontheOrdnanceSurveyDiscoverySeriesmapwithalltheexcavationsitesmarkedarchaEological Excavation rEport 20. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/High and later medieval periods (c. AD 1100 to 1650)This period is characterized by the arrival of the Anglo-Normans and the building of tow-er houses. The Anglo-Normans obtained charters in the thirteenth century for the townsof Nenagh, Roscrea, Thurles and Templemore and established markets. Nenagh grewrapidly in the aftermath of the granting of the lands of Munster to Theobald fitzWalter in1185 (ibid. 8). Moated sites represent the remains of isolated, semi-defended homesteadsin rural areas. They were build mainly in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth cen-turies in counties, such as Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, mid-Cork and Limerick, thatwere colonised by English settlers (OConor 1998, 58). The Archaeological Inventory forNorth Tipperary lists 39 moated sites (2002, 298).A medieval enclosure and associated field systems were recorded at Killeisk E3587. Aseries of ditches and settlement activity was recorded at Park 1 E3659.Post-medieval period (c. 1650 to the present)The post-medieval period is characterised by mills, limekilns, workhouses, country hous-es and associated demesnes, vernacular buildings and field systems (Figure 3). A smalldemesne associated with a county house was recorded at Greenhills.5 Site location and TopographyThe site is located in the townland of Busherstown, in the Parish of Castletownely andthe barony of Clonlisk. It is located to the south of the present N7 and at the time of ex-cavation accessed by a small by-road linking the N7 at Moneygall to the third class roadlinking the village of Dunkerrin and the town of Templemore, east of Clonakenny andsouth of Quinlisks Cross roads. The site at Busherstown was situated on and around the summit of a low hill on thenorthern edge of the rolling uplands of North Tipperary and South Offaly (Figure 4). Thesite is surrounded on three sides by higher ground being open to the North with excellentviews across the vast expanse of the Offaly bogs and lowlands. The Slieve Bloom moun-tains are visible to the North East. To the west the ground rises gently and levels out, where the prehistoric settlementevidence at Drumbaun 2 E3912 was located, before dropping sharply down to the presentN7 on the north-east side of the village of Moneygall. To the north-west a hill rises steeplyto approximately 175m OD. The lower slopes of this hill are containing a number of ring-forts and enclosures. To the east the landscape rises and gently undulates through thetownlands of Moatquater and Castleroan before rising steeply in the townland of Rathna-veoge Lower. To the south-east, south and south-west the ground rises steeply throughdensely wooded areas through the townland of Durmroe to the source of the Suir Riverjust below the summit (460m OD) of the north end of the Devilsbit Mountain Range. 7 21. 2047132057138 CastleroanLOUGHAN ea mLoughan S tr182716182716e lo gK ee CASTLEROAN iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237Moatquarter BUSHERSTOWN182066182066 MOATQUARTER BusherstownDrumbaun 2 DRUMROE 0300 600DRUMBAUN Drumroe Meters204713205713Figure3: PortionoftheIsteditionOrdnanceSurveyMapOF47showingthelocationofBusherstown archaEological Excavation rEport 22. Loughan 1204100205400110 s naroB ittl e13Motte 0 rLbUShErStown-E366115 180 0 Rive160182250 182250140170 120160 170150150Busherstown 1 150 Drumbaun 2 Drumroe 1Ke e l og e Str160eam181500 181500 1701301401600 16 180 190 01 Km204100205400Figure4: TopographyoftheareaaroundBusherstownhttp://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/9 23. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEportThe site itself is located at around 140m OD overlooking a wide area of marshy groundto the north-east and east. The ground drops sharply from the northern edge of the roadcorridor to a small but fast flowing stream now forming part of a field boundary. Thepost-medieval landscape is the most clearly visible on the landscape today. The rooftopof Busherstown House can be seen nestled into a sheltered part of the valley surroundedby mature woodland. The stone walled deerpark encloses land adjacent to the house andrising up the slope to the east. A linear area of dense woodland bounds the deerpark tothe west, named as the shrubbery on older maps. Running NE-SW along a current fieldboundary is a line of wood growth named Beech Grove, leading into a larger area ofLawn Wood.6Archaeological and Historical SettingThe following text on the history of Busherstown was written by Paul MacCotter (2011): The Busherstown of 1641 bears only a loose resemblance to the area of the moderntownland. In 1641 there was the single townland of Busherstown & Drumroe and thesecond townland of Castletown, the greater portions of which together make up themodern townland. The original Busherstown lay in the west of this area, Castletown inthe east. Most of modern Drumroe lay in Castletown, with only that part west of theroad lying in Busherstown, hence this western area must be the original Drumroe. Thechurch ruin in modern Drumroe then lay in Castletown, and this is the old parish churchof Castletownely, earlier Castle Philip. The newly excavated moated site lies in the origi-nal Busherstown. The name Busherstown must derive from an Anglo-Norman familyof Bosser (modern Busher), a fairly common Anglo-Norman cognomen-type surname,literally the butcher, who appear to have left no record beyond the toponym. Later, twoO Carroll families are associated with Busherstown and Castletown, those of Clonagan-nagh and Ballybrack, although only the latter occur as planters in 1619, while both stillheld property here in 1641. The de Barrys of Castle Philip (Moatquarter and Busherstown) were one of the lead-ing Anglo-Norman settler families in the cantred of Elyocarroll before the destructionof its colony at the hands of the O Carroll chieftains during the second quarter of the14th century. Among a number of fees they possessed here was that of Castle Philip, aname which refers to the motte in Moatquarter. In the 1305 extent we read that Regi-nald de Barry held one theod at Castle Philip in Ossergele. Here we should certainlyread Offergele, a colonial theod based on the pre-Invasion tath of U Fhearghaile. Theidentification is certain: references to the church of Castle Philip occur in 1300, 1306,1425 and 1506, and these references indicate that Castle Philip is the parish now knownas Castletown Ely, whose ruined church lies in Drumroe. Note that Drumroe churchlies adjacent to the motte of Moatquarter, the normal juxtaposition for manor house andmanor church at this period, for in most cases parish and manor share the same shape.In this instance both church and motte bear the original name Castle Philip. The church10 24. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/becomes known as Castletown in 1615 and, eventually, Castletownely. In 17th centuryrecords the name Castletown is also given to the townland in which the church stood,occupying the eastern third of modern Busherstown and most of Drumroe. Therefore,this church is called after a fortification built originally by one Philip (de Barry?) andwhich lay near the church. Yet there is no evidence from any of the topographical sourceswe possess dating from the mid-17th century onwards of any castle in the vicinity of thischurch apart from the nearby motte in Moatquarter. Hence, the inescapable conclusionwe arrive at is that the castle in question is this motte.Historical references help us to locate the de Barry theod of Offergele here, whichclearly included Moatquarter, Drumroe and Moneygall. We should expect to find itsshape reflected in that of the parish of Castletownely, but this omits Moatquarter andMoneygall. It has a very different shape in the Down Survey (1656) however, and thisolder extent allows us to add Moatquarter and Moneygall, as well as several other town-lands, including Drumbaun, to the fee of Castle Philip. Given the propensity for civil par-ish boundaries to change over time, a 17th century source is to be greatly preferred over a19th century source. These references allow us to conclude that the motte of Moatquarterwas the site of an early Anglo-Norman manorial caput while the church of Drumroe orCastletownely was its corresponding manor church. Thus both the historical and archae-ological record suggest that this area only became important as the location of an Anglo-Norman manorial caput in the early 13th century. The location of these dual featuresat the centre of an area of significant distribution of late-medieval archaeological sitesconfirms the location of the caput here and its importance. We note especially the largemoated-site at Busherstown. This was clearly the fortified homestead of an importantfree-tenant of the manor of Castle Philip, who was very probably surnamed Busher. Theactual area of the farm attached to the moated site is very probably reflected in the shapeof the 17th century 510-acre townland of Busherstown. Other important sites nearbyinclude a late-medieval settlement in Busherstown, an Anglo-Norman ringwork castlein Lisduff, and a number of possible moated sites in Lisduff and Moatquarter. Again, thearchaeology agrees with the historical record telling of the abandonment of much of thesesettlements as a result of the Gaelic resurgence here, when the O Carrolls destroyed thecolony in Elyocarroll after 1325.7 Excavation methodologyThe site was mechanically stripped of topsoil under strict archaeological supervision.Stripping was done with a tracked machine with a flat toothless bucket. Topsoil strippingcommenced in the areas of identified archaeology and continued radially outward untilthe limit of the road take was reached or until the limit of the archaeological remains wasfully defined. A grid was set up in the excavation area(s) and all archaeological featureswere sufficiently cleaned, recorded and excavated so as to enable an accurate and mean-ingful record of the site to be preserved. The excavation, environmental sampling, site 11 25. 20440020475020510012 182000 182000BUSHERSTOWNiSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 181800 181800 1340013500 13300 13600 13200 13700 13100 1380013900 14000 14100 181600 181600DRUMROEDRUMBAUNBusherstown 1 (E3661)0100 200 Metres204400204750205100 Figure5: LocationandextentofBusherstownE3661ontheN7CastletowntoNenaghNotethelocationofthestreamarchaEological Excavation rEport 26. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Plate1: ViewofBusherstownfromnorthphotographs, site drawings, find care and retrieval, on-site recording and site archive wasas per the Procedures for Archaeological works as attached to the licence method state-ments for excavation licences. The site was excavated from the 10th September 2007 and the on-site phase of workwas completed on the 8th February 2008. An area approximately 5185m was initiallyopened. Only areas within the LMA (lands made available) were resolved (Figure 5). Thisarea was cleaned and examined. On the establishment of the nature, extent and distri-bution of the archaeological remains present a further 400m was opened on the northside of the site. During the length of the excavation the crew comprised one director, twosupervisors and 22 site assistants.The full record of excavated contexts is recorded in the context register and the strati-graphic matrix (Appendix 2). Detailed stratigraphic descriptions are found in the groupsand sub-groups text (Appendix 3). The context register maybe viewed in the EAPOD(Eachtra Archaeological Projects office database) in the accompanying CD.13 27. 20472020478014 Moated Structure Csite 181827181827AnnexeStructure DADAD713-888 1292-1394 iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 Structure B Structure F145 m O.D. AD 657-769Structure E AD658-766AD 1210-1271 Structure A 181789181789AD 1159-1252Kilns Human skeleton0 25 m 204720204780 Figure6: PostexcavationplanofBusherstown archaEological Excavation rEport 28. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/ Plate2: Flint scraper E3661:1:5 from Busherstown8 Excavation resultsArchaeological excavation of the site at Busherstown revealed a complex multi-period sitewith at least six phases of activity identified (Figure 6). In broad outline they confirmedthe use of the area from the Early Neolithic period to the present time. The earliest phaseof activity was prehistoric in date and comprised a small lithic assemblage and possibly acircular structure. The second and third phases of activity were dated to the early medie-val period. The area was used for cereal processing and was defined by an enclosure. Morethan 20 kilns were recorded and upto ten of these were located in a line that extended fora distance of 80 m in a NW-SE direction. The continuous use of the area in the medievalperiod was confirmed by the next phase of activity (Phase 4) when certain areas of thesite were enclosed through the construction of deep, wide ditches. A subsequent phase ofactivity on the site included the construction of a substantial ditch which enclosed a sub-rectangular moated site (Phase 5). The moated site was only partially located within theroad corridor, but the entire outline can be clearly seen in aerial photographs of the ad-joining field to the north-east (Plate 1). The modern period (Phase 6) was represented bya large number of furrows and attempts to level the site. The upper fill of all the medievalditches was modern in origin as the site had been levelled. 15 29. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEport 214 389 Structure A1020 427563 463 454 398 5434304193784110 2.5 mFigure7: Post-excavationplanofStructureAatBusherstownPhase 1 PrehistoricThe prehistoric phase of activity was defined by a small assemblage of lithics dated tothe Neolithic Period and a small circular structure dated, on typological grounds, to theBronze Age.NeolithicThe Neolithic assemblage from Busherstown includes a flint blade dated to the first halfof the Neolithic period (E366:365:1), three flakes, possibly Middle Neolithic in date(E3661:1:5, E3661:99:1 and E3661:175:1), three retouched artefacts, including one flintscraper (E3661:1:5, Plate 2) and two rubbing stones dated to Late Neolithic/ Early BronzeAge (E3661:777:1 and E3661:796:1). The lithic finds were recovered from residual con-texts, including the topsoil, the fills of ditches C.68, C.44, C.54, kilns C.30, C.491 andC.743A, post-holes/pit C.366, post-hole C.796, slot trench C.392, pit C.669 and furrowC.287.Bronze AgeA circular structure, Structure 1, was recorded in the central part of the site (Figure 7,plate 3). It comprised a ring of seven post-holes (C.214, C.378, C.389, C.398, C.411,16 30. 204720204780 181827181827 bUShErStown-E3661 447622 68 1817891817890 25 m204720204780 Figure8: Post-excavationplanofditchesC447andC68atBusherstown http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/17 31. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportPlate3: BuildingAfromsouth-westatBusherstownC.419 and C.1020) and a hearth (C.427) in the interior. The building measured 4.4 min diameter. The structural post-holes were similar in size, measuring on average 0.24 mby 0.23 m by 0.33 m in depth. All of them had one mid grey brown silty sand fill withoccasional inclusions of pebbles and small stones. The distance between the post-holesaveraged 1.9 m with the exception of a gap of 2.3 m between two post-holes on the east-ern side, which defined the area of the entrance. A total of five stake-holes (C.563, C.454,C.463, C.430 and C.543) were associated with the hearth, three of them (C.430, C.454and C.463) cut the hearth and the other two (C.543 and C.563) were placed on the op-posite sides of hearth.The northern edge of this group of features was truncated by the enclosure ditch C.54.Phase 2 Early medieval activityThe second phase of activity comprised two ditches which formed three sides of an enclo-sure and a series of cereal-drying kilns.Early medieval ditchesTwo ditches (C.68 and C.447) (Figure 8) formed three sides of an enclosure which meas-ured at least 30 m north-south by 45 m east-west. The activity was early medieval in dateand contemporary with the kilns. No radiocarbon dates were obtained from the ditchesbut several of the kilns were located close to both sides of the ditches presumably for shel-18 32. N7CNN7CNBusherstown BusherstownE3661 E3661NW facing section of C.447SW facing section of C.127C.591bUShErStown-E3661 C.83 C.448C.80C.82C.81C.607C.79C.608 C.78/127C.447 N7CN Busherstown E3661 SW facing section of C.68 and C.63 C.69C.64C.70 C.71C.72 C.67 C.65C.73 C.66C.63 C.68 0 500 mm Figure9: SectionplansofditchesC68,C63,C447andC78/127atBusherstownhttp://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/19 33. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEportPlate4: QuernstoneE3661:71:1fromBusherstownter. These two ditches were the only V-shaped ditches on site and were both truncated bythe later ditches C.277/78. The ditch C.447 was one of the earliest features on the site and it was the only ditchtruncated by a kiln (C.491). The ditch was located in the west part of the site and extend-ed for c. 37.6 m in NW-SE direction. It then turns to the NNE and continued beyond thenorthern limit of the excavation where it probably intersected with the later ditch of themoated site. The cut of the ditch was V-shaped and on average measured 1.5 m wide by0.75 m deep. It was cut into the underlying clay which overlay gravel deposits. The south-east terminus of the ditch was truncated by the ditch C.277. A total of six sections wereexcavated on the length of this ditch (Figure 9). Nine different layers/deposits were exca-vated within the ditch. The fills accumulated as a result of silting within the ditch. Threesections were recorded along the NW-SE part of the ditch. In all of these sections, theditch was covered by a layer (C.591) of re-deposited natural (0.19 m deep) which derivedfrom the leveling of the site in the modern period. The southeastern end of NNE-SSWlength of the ditch was cut by a shallow ditch (C.246). The southeast part of the ditch wastruncated by pit C.622 and kiln C.491. No finds were recovered from this ditch. Ditch C.68 was situated in the eastern half of the site and was orientated NNE-SSW.The northern part of the ditch was cut by the ditch (C.44) of the moated site. The south-ern part of the ditch was truncated by the ditch C.63/C.19. Ditch C.68 contained 11 fillsand was 36.40 m in length and on average 1.70 m wide by 0.9 m deep (see Figure 9). Foursections were dug in the ditch. In three of them, the remains of a possible re-cut were vis-20 34. 2047202047801040 872 811 634bUShErStown-E3661 181827 181827 696 355 802480 743 97 9098 581578 576499 548 491550 392 4901042 7430 104199032 181789 181789 989 189 191 1012Kilns Firing bowl 421030 m204720204780 Figure10:Post-excavationplanofkilns,locationoffiringbowlofkilnsillustrated,atBusherstownhttp://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/21 35. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportible. Two pieces of copper alloy book binding strips were found within the upper fill ofthat ditch (E3661:69:1 and 2) and a rotary quern stone (E3661:71:1) in one of the lowerfills (Plate 4). The ditch was linear in plan with a V-shaped profile throughout all its ex-cavated length. It was not possible to determine how far north the ditch had extended asthe northern part of the ditch was truncated by the later ditch (C.44) of the moated site. The two ditches C.447 and C.68 were the only V-shaped ditches recorded on the site.The accumulated fills within the ditches were similar. The ditches were parallel to oneanother and they constituted part of a contemporary enclosing element. The southernboundary of the enclosure had partly survived but the northern boundary had not as itwas truncated by the ditch of the moated site. The enclosure was likely to have been earlymedieval in date but no radiocarbon date was obtained for the ditches. It pre-dated theconstruction of at least one of the early medieval kilns (C.491) as it had cut ditch C.447.Cereal-drying kilnsThe site was used as for cereal processing on an intensive scale during the early medievalperiod. A total of 17 extant kilns and seven truncated kilns were recorded on site (Figure10). Three early medieval radiocarbon dates were obtained from cereal grains from thekilns. All the kilns, with the exception of one, were figure-of-eight in plan. The exception,kiln C.90 was a stone-lined kiln keyhole kiln which consisted of a fire chamber separatedfrom the drying chamber by a stone-lined flue. A total of 11 of the group of 17 kilns (C.30,C.74, C.97, C.189, C.355, C.490, C.634, C.743A, C.872, C.989 and C.1012) were defini-tive figure-of-eight in plan. The figure-of-eight kilns consisted of two parts, the deeper,wider pit held the fire, from which heat would rise towards the shallower drying chamberor pit, where the grain was laid to dry. All the kilns had distinctive fire reddened bases,in the firing area. The other five kilns were heavily truncated by later features. Three ofthese (C.480, C.491 and C.743B) were probably figure-of-eight in plan but the shape ofthe remaining two kilns (C.900 and C.1040) was uncertain. Thirteen of these kilns weretruncated by later features such as ditches, gullies, slot trenches, pits or later kilns. Seven of the kilns (C.74, C.30, C.189, C.1012, C.1041, C.989 and C.990) were locatedin the southern part of the site. They were cut into yellow compact sandy silt clay whichoverlay gravel deposits. Five of these kilns (C.189, C.1012, C.1041, C.989 and C.990) weretruncated by later medieval ditches (C.54, C.63 and C.78). Six kilns (C.490, C.90, C.97, C.743, C.491 and C.480) were situated in the westernpart of the site. The area was heavily truncated by modern agricultural features, includingseveral deep furrows (C.160, C.167, C.174, C.394, C.407, C.410, C.699 and C.761). Four kilns were situated in the northern part of the site. Two of them (C.872 andC.1040) were located on the edge of the area of the excavation, to the west of the ditch ofthe moated site. Two others (C.355 and C.634) were located within the area of the moatedsite.22 36. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Plate5: KilnC74(inforeground)andkilnC30fromNWatBusherstownNo KilnShape inOrientation Location ofLengthWidth Depth Truncated by cut noplanfiring bowl(m) (m) (m)1C.30figure-of NE-SW NE 2.821-1.2 0.45-0.9 pit C.32 eight2 C.74 figure-of NE-SWNE3.180.9-1.2 0.4-0.7 eight3 C.90 keyhole NW-SENW6 0.620.234 C.97 figure-of NE-SWNE3.150.75-1.7 0.32-Kiln C.90 eight 0.675 C.189 figure-ofNE-SWNE2.2 0.97-1.6 0.23-ditch C.63 eight 0.526 C.355 figure-ofNE-SWNE3.240.90.95-1.3 Foundation eighttrench C.6627 C.480 figure-ofNW-SE? 2.3 NA NA post-med ditch eight? C.4758 C.490 figure-ofNE-SWNE3.7 1.2-1.7 0.44- foundation eight 0.62 trench C.3929 C.491 figure-ofNW-SE? 2.121.40.75 kiln cuts ditch eight? C.44710C.634 figure-ofNW-SESE3.550.90-1.2 0.45-pit C.875 eight 0.9811C.743A figure-of NE-SWNE4.051.90.75 eight12C.743B figure-of NE-SWSWNANA0.75kiln C.743A eight?13C.872 figure-ofNW-SESE3.5 0.80-1.2 0.97 eight23 37. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEport Plate6: KilnC74fromNEatBusherstownNo KilnShape in Orientation Location of Length Width Depth Truncated by cut noplan firing bowl (m)(m) (m)14 C.989 figure-of NE-SWNE3.19 1.5-1.7 0.96- ditch 54 eight 1.0515C.990unknown NE-SW? 1.84 1.290.4 ditch C.54 & gully 67616C.1012 figure-of NE-SWNE2.50.7-1.35 0.26-0.7 ditch C.78 eight17C.1040 unknown ?? NA NANApost-med ditch C.1026Table1Dimensionsandorientationof17cereal-dryingkilnsKiln C.30Kiln C.30 was situated 1.3m to the southeast of kiln C.74 (Plate 5). The kiln was sub-rectangular in shape and was orientated northeast-southwest. The drying part of this kilnwas heavily truncated by a pit (C.32). The overall length of the kiln was 2.82 m, while thewidth narrowed from 1.2 m at the northern end to 1 m at the disturbed southern end.The base of the kiln sloped gradually down from the southern end to the north. The firepit measured 0.9 m in depth while the insitu section of the drying pit was 0.45 m deep.The firing chamber was filled with three deposits that were related to the original useof the kiln. The primary fill (C.111) was a charcoal rich layer of brown silt that measured0.02 m in depth. This deposit was the remains of burnt wood from the firing of the kiln.Analysis of the plant remains from this deposit identified large quantities of oat andbarley grains (see Appendix 4). The secondary fill was brown grey clayey silt (C.108) that24 38. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/contained inclusions of charcoal and lenses of burnt clay. The tertiary fill (C.106) wascharcoal rich grey black sandy silt. It was the remains of burnt wood from a second firingof the kiln. The south chamber of the kiln was filled with three deposits which were associatedwith the original use of the kiln. The basal deposit (C.109) was charcoal rich dark graysandy silt that measured 0.07 m in depth. The secondary fill (C.107) was yellowish orangesilt. The fill above (C.106) was a thin layer of charcoal rich sandy silt which also occurredin the north part of the kiln. The kiln was sealed by seven deposits. Three deposits (C.104, C.103 and C.102) di-rectly overlaid C.106. Two of them (C.104 and C.103) were located in the most northernpart of the kiln. These deposits appear to be caused either by intentional backfilling orby collapse of heat affected walls. The third deposit (C.102) situated in the southern andthe central part of the kiln was grey brown silty sand. It contained moderate inclusionsof charcoal and appears to have formed after the kiln went out of use. The fourth back-fill (C.101) covered the whole kiln with re-deposited subsoil for a depth of 0.28 m. Thesmall deposit of brown grey sand (C.100) was located in the central part of the kiln. Itcontained moderate charcoal inclusions. This fill was overlain by a blue grey silt deposit(C.99) that measured 0.11m in depth. A flint flake (E3661:99:1) dated to the Neolithic pe-riod was found within this fill. The top backfill of the kiln was blue grey silty clay (C.31)that measured 0.39m in depth. It contained moderate inclusions of charcoal and pebbles.Kiln C.74Kiln C.74 was situated 1.3m to the northwest of kiln C.30 (Plate 6). It was sub-rectangu-lar in shape and was orientated north-east to south-west with the firing chamber at thenorth-eastern end. The overall length of the kiln was 3.18 m, while its width narrowedfrom 1.2 m at its northern end to 0.9 m at its southern end. The base of the kiln slopedgradually down from a minimum of 0.40 m at its southern end to a maximum of 0.70 mat its northern end (Figure 11). The fire chamber was filled with two deposits that wereassociated with the original use of the kiln. The primary fill of the fire pit (C.120) wasa charcoal rich layer of dark brownish black clayey silt. This deposit was the remains ofburnt wood from the primary firing of the kiln. Analysis of the plant remains from thisdeposit identified large quantities of oat and barley (see Appendix 4). An early medievaldate of cal AD 658711 (UB15050) was returned from oat grains from this fill. The sec-ondary fill (C.119) was a mix of orange brown silt with charcoal and heat affected piecesof clay. This deposit was sealed by a layer of yellow brown clayey silt (C.118). It containedcharcoal inclusions and lenses of re-deposited natural. The eastern side of this chamberwas heavily affected by the fire. The shallower southern end of the kiln was filled by asingle deposit (C.120) that was associated with the primary function of the kiln. This wasa charcoal rich layer of dark brownish black clayey silt, which also occurred in the firingpart of the kiln. The kiln was sealed by four deposits. The upper deposit (C.77) of thekiln was re-deposited subsoil material of yellow brown silty sand that measured 0.34m indepth. It contained inclusions of pebbles and charcoal flecks.25 39. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportPlate7: Mid-excavationviewofkilnC97inforegroundandkilnC90inbackgroundatBusherstownKiln C.90Kiln C.90 was a keyhole shaped stone-lined kiln. The cut of the kiln was orientated NW-SE with the firing chamber situated at the NW end. The kiln measured 6 m in lengthand comprised a firing chamber separated from the drying chamber by a narrower linearflue. The base of the kiln slopes slightly downwards from southeast to northwest. The firechamber of kiln C.90 cut the drying pit of kiln C.97 (Plate 7). The kiln C.90 was trun-cated by two furrows (C.167 and C.174).The fire chamber was sub-rectangular in shape with rounded corners. It was 1.2 mlong on its NW-SE axis and cut the top fills of kiln C.97 to the depth of 0.23 m. Thischamber did not appear to be stone lined. In the place between the firing chamber andthe flue lay a boulder. The firing chamber was filled with three deposits. The basal fill(C.129) covered the fire-scorched base of the flue. The secondary deposit (C.132) wasbrown grey silt with inclusions of charcoal and burnt clay. The firing end of the kiln wastruncated by a furrow (C.167).The linear flue was 2.9 m long and the width of it narrowed from 1.2 m at the NWend to 1 m in the place where it joined the drying chamber. The remains of the flue were26 40. N7CN Busherstown E3661 SE facing section of corn drying kiln C.97# # ###C.135 # ## C.132# C.128# C.129C.133 # ## # # # # #C.130# ### # # ## # # ### # # # ## # # C.160 ### # C.131 # ## # # # # # # ## bUShErStown-E3661## # # # # ### C.159## # C.90 ### # ## # # # # # # # #C.134 ### # #C.135 #### ## ## ## # # # ### # # # # #### # # ## # # # ## # #C.141# #### # C.136# ## ## # # # # ### # # # # # # # # # C.139 # # C.97 ### ### # ## # # ## # # # # C.138# ## # # #C.139 # # # #C.140C.369 N7CN Busherstown E3661 NW facing section of corn drying kiln C.74C.76C.77C.75 C.115 C.117 C.116 C.119C.118 C.120C.121C.740 500 mm Figure11:SectionplanofkilnsC97andC74atBusherstown http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/27 41. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEport0.31 m deep. The walls of the flue were lined with blocks of limestone and sandstone andin the places where the stones where missing, a clear indication of the missing stone wasvisible (Plate 8). The base and the stone walls of the flue were substantially affected by fire.The flue was filled with two deposits. The basal fill (C.201) of the flue was a small depositon the NW end of the flue. This layer consisted of brown compact sand. Cereals exam-ined from the layer were composed of predominantly barley (about 70 %), oats (about30 %) and some rye and wheat (less than 5 %) (see Appendix 4). The next layer (C.129),which was a continuation of the basal layer in the firing chamber, was overlain by browngrey sandy silt (C.168) with inclusions of charcoal. In the place where the flue meets, thebase of the drying chamber rises to a depth of 0.10 m.The drying chamber was hemispherical in shape and stone lined in the place whereit connects with the flu. Along the NE edge of the drying chamber a stone socket or apossible small slot trench was visible. The drying part of the kiln was filled with greybrown sandy silt (C.169) with inclusions of charcoal and pieces of bones. This deposit wasoverlain in some places with brown grey silt with inclusions of charcoal and burnt clay(C.132).Nine post-holes, four stake-holes, one pit and a possible foundation trench formed ashelter belt on the NW side of the kiln C.90 (Figure 12). Five postholes (C.525, C.523,C.377, C.388 and C.729) formed a line 2.4 m in length 2.3 m north of the kiln C.90.Three of the postholes (C.525, C.523 and C.377) were circular in plan with flat bases. Twoof the postholes (C.388 and C.729) were a bit bigger (averaging 0.28 m by 0.28 m and0.30m in depth). Two additional postholes (C.368 and posthole /possible pit C.366) weresituated 0.5 m to the north of the main alignment. A flint blade (E3661:365:1) dated tothe first half of the Neolithic period was recovered from post C.366.A slot trench (C.320), three postholes (C.318, C. 691 and C.285) and three stakeholes(C.693, C.341 and C.343) were located further to the north-west. The possible slot trenchwas 0.97 long and very narrow and shallow. The postholes (C.318, C.691 and C.285)were circular in plan and concave in profile. The stakeholes (C.693, C.341 and C.343)were situated between the postholes. If these features also formed part of the shelter beltit would have measured 6.3 m in length. It is also possible that the shelter, or the westernpart only, was associated with the earlier kiln C.97.Kiln C.97Kiln C.97 was situated 10 m to the northwest of the kiln C.490, 3.95 m to the southeastof kiln C.743 and just 3 m to the north of kiln C.491. The kiln was sub-rectangular inshape and was orientated northeast-southwest. The length of the kiln was 3.15 m long,while its width narrowed from 1.7 m at its northern end to 0.75 m at its southern end(Figure 13). The base of the kiln sloped gradually down from a minimum of 0.32 m at itssouthern end to a maximum of 0.67 m at its northern end. The sides of the kiln were steepand the base was flat. The upper fills of the kiln were truncated by kiln C.90, post-holeC.159 and furrows C.167 and C.174. The firing pit, at the north-eastern end of the kiln,was filled with four deposits which were related to the primary use of the kiln. These were28 42. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/ 693691 285 341 343 318 320366368 97729388377523 90525 98 49102.5 mFigure12:PlanofkilnsC90andC97andassociatedshelterbeltatBusherstowna layer of charcoal (C.138) and three deposits of mixed material (C.138, C.136 and C.135).The drying pit was filled with one deposit (C.141) of silty clay mixed with charcoal. Thekiln was backfilled by two deposits (C.130 and C.131). Analysis of the plant remains fromtwo of the basal layers (C.135 and C.136) identified the presence of barley and oat grainswith a prevalence of barley (see Appendix 4).Kiln C.189The kiln C.189 was located 6.5m to the southeast of the kiln C.30 and was truncated byditch C.63. The preserved part of the kiln indicated that it was figure of eight shape andwas orientated northeast-southwest. The length of the kiln was 2.2 m, while its width nar-rowed from 1.6 m at its northern end to 0.97 m at its southern end. The base of the kilnsloped gradually down from a minimum depth of 0.23 m at its southern end to a maxi-mum of 0.52m at its northern end. The sides of the kiln were steep and the base was flat. The fire chamber of this kiln was filled with six deposits which were associated withthe primary use of the kiln. The basal fill (C.267) was a charcoal rich dark sandy silt thatmeasured 0.07 m in depth. Analysis of the plant remains from this deposit identified bar-ley and oat grains (see Appendix 4). The secondary fill (263) was a silty sand which wascontemporary with a layer of dark red black sandy silt (C.323) located in the southwestpart of the firing pit. The tertiary fill (C.264/C.305) was charcoal rich sandy silt, whichcontained small lenses of burnt clay. It was the remains of burnt wood from a secondfiring of the kiln. The fourth deposit (C.266) was dark yellow black silty sand with inclu-29 43. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEport 1040872 824788745696752 802 767 480 743 97573 491676561 566490568 570218Kilns871 010 mFigure13:Post-excavationplanofkilnslocatedinthenorthernpartofthesiteatBusherstown30 44. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/sions of charcoal that measured 0.06m in depth. Two more deposits (C.262 and C.261)may have been connected with the original use of the kiln. A small deposit (C.262) ofdark brown gray sandy silt and a dark yellow gray sandy silt (C.261) were located in thesouthern part of firing pit. Both of these layers contained charcoal inclusions, with a pre-dominance of charcoal in fill C.261.The southern part of the kiln was filled with three deposits that appeared to be relatedto the original use of the kiln. The primary fill of the fire pit (C.265) was orange graysandy silt. It contained inclusions of charcoal. The secondary deposit (263) was a yellowgray silty sand which also occurred in the north part of the kiln. The tertiary deposit(C.261) was dark yellow gray sandy silt. The kiln was sealed up by one backfill deposit(C.188). This fill measured 0.41m in depth. It was dark brown grey silty sand with inclu-sions of charcoal, pebbles and small stones.The south-western edge of kiln C.189 was truncated by two stake-holes (C.249 andC.251).Kiln C.355Kiln C.355 was situated close to the south-eastern corner of ditch C.44. It was orientatednortheast-southeast with the firing chamber at its northwest end. The kiln was sub-rec-tangular in plan with rounded corners. The overall shape of the feature, after removingthe upper layers which were derived from bank material, was visible as a sub-rectangularring of burnt clay. It measured 3.24 m in length and had a maximum 0.40 m width open-ing. The base of the cut was much wider and in average measured 0.9 m in width. Thesides of the kiln were vertical and undercut on the northeast and northwest, vertical andirregular on the southeast and steep and irregular at southwest. Substantial fire markswere visible along the whole height of the firing chamber walls and the upper parts of thedrying chamber. The base of the kiln slopes gently down from a minimum of 0.95 m atits southwestern end to a maximum of 1.3 m at its northeastern end (Figure 14). The base of firing chamber was filled with two deposits of rich charcoal material(C.670 and C.600). The basal layer of charcoal (C.600) contained pieces of burnt timber.Above this fill lay a deposit of ash mixed with burnt timber pieces (C.604). They wereoverlain by various deposits of ash (C.672, C.648, C.602 and C.579) and grey silt mixedwith charcoal and pieces of burnt clay (C.671, C.590, C.565 and C.540). Analysis of plantremains from the basal fill C.670 confirms the presence of barley and oat (Appendix 4).An early medieval date of cal AD 713888 (UB15053) was returned from barley grainsfrom this fill. The drying chamber of the kiln was filled with a rich charcoal layer (C.513) which waspartially covered by mix of silt, ash and charcoal (C.539). The deposit C.539 also filled thefiring chamber and was 0.22 m deep. Both chambers were overlain by a layer of grey brown silt with inclusions of charcoal(C.514). This fill contained animal bones. The kiln was sealed up by a layer of re-depositednatural (C.401) which measured 0.78 m in depth. The central section of the kiln was cut31 45. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportby a pit C.1043, which measured 2.35 m long and 0.35 m deep and the southern sectionwas cut by a slot trench C.622, associated with Structure D.Kiln C.480Kiln C.480 was situated 10.4m to the south-west of kiln C.743 and 2.13m to the south-east of kiln C.696. The kiln was 2.3 m long by 0.5 m in depth and was truncated byditch C.475 over the whole of its length. The remains of the cut of the kiln indicate thatit was sub-rectangular in plan with rounded corners and the base was flat. The kiln wasorientated northwest-southeast. It comprised six fills, the three lower fills (C.488, C.486and C.485) were connected with the primary function of the kiln. The upper fills (C.484,C.482 and C.481) were derived from the backfill of the kiln. Analysis of plant remainsfrom the basal deposit (C.488) revealed almost equal percentage of barley and oat seedswithin the fill (see Appendix 4).Kiln C.490Kiln C.490 was situated 11.6 m to the northwest of kiln C.74 and 10.3 m to the south-east of kiln C.97. The kiln was sub-rectangular in shape and was orientated northeast-southwest. The length of the kiln was 3.7 m long, while its width narrowed from 1.7 m atits northern end to 1.2 m at its southern end. The base of the kiln sloped gradually downfrom a minimum of 0.44 m at its southern end to a maximum of 0.62 m at its northernend. The sides of the kiln were steep and the base was flat. The central part of the kiln wastruncated by Structure B. The firing part of the kiln was filled with ten deposits that appeared to be connectedwith the original use of the kiln. The basal fill (C.537) was charcoal rich black sandy claythat measured 0.09 m in depth. The secondary fill (C.551) was yellow silt that measured0.05 m in depth. This fill contained inclusions of charcoal and burnt clay. The tertiary de-posit (C.538) was a light grey silt with charcoal inclusions that was 0.11 m deep. Analysisof the plant remains from deposit C.538 identified barley and oat grains with a high pro-portion of oat (see Appendix 4). An early medieval date of cal AD 657769 (UB15051)was returned from cereal from this fill. The three fills (C.551, C.535 and C.532) overlyingdeposit C.538 seem to be typical mixed material from the interval between succeeding fir-ings of the kiln. These fills were a mix of yellow grey silt, clayey sand and sandy clay withpieces of charcoal and burnt clay. They measured between 0.03 m and 0.05 m in depth.The fifth deposit (C.531) was charcoal rich black clay that measured 0.05 m in depth.This fill was derived from the second firing of the kiln. The next two deposits (C.501 andC.518) contained inclusions of charcoal and burnt clay and were a brown black deposit ofsilty clay (C.501) and orange yellow sandy clay (C.518). On top of them lay another de-posit of rich charcoal sandy clay (C.502 and C.473) which was the remains of burnt wood.The last deposit (C.495) connected with the primary use of the kiln was a small deposit ofyellow firm clay with inclusions of charcoal and flecks of burnt clay. The drying part of the kiln was filled with three deposits (C.562, C.552 and C.536)connected to the primary use of the kiln. The middle fill (C.552) was a layer charcoal-rich32 46. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Plate8: StonelininginkilnC90fromeastatBusherstownsilt, 0.03 m in depth. Within this fill was found a small decorated copper alloy bindingstrip (E3066:552:1). The other two deposits were a mix of silt with inclusions of charcoal.The kiln contained five backfill deposits (C.182, C.442, C.443 and C.444) which evenlyfilled both parts. The base of kiln C.490 was cut by three stake-holes (C.566, C.568 and C.570). Theywere situated in the edge of the drying chamber just before it sloped into the firing partof the kiln.Kiln C.491Kiln C.491 was located 3m to the south of kiln C.97 and C.90 and was cut into ditchC.447. The kiln was orientated NW-SE and was sub-rectangular in plan. The remainingpart of the kiln measured 2.12 m in length by 1.4 m in width and was 0.75 m deep. Thekiln was filled with six deposits. They comprised two layers of charcoal (C.511 and C.509),three intervening layers of mixed material (C.510, C.508 and C.507) and one backfill de-posit (C.449). This fill was overlaid by a stony layer (C.450) of fire affected medium andbig size stones. The kiln and the ditch C.447 were covered by two layers (average depth0.08 m) of re-deposited material (C.503 and C.505). A fragment of a rotary quernstone(E3661:450:1) was recovered from one of the fills and a retouched flint (E3661:509:1)dated to Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age from another. A clay pipe stem (E3661:510:1)was recovered from the basal fill. 33 47. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEportPlate9: Bone pin E3661:735:1 fromBusherstownKiln C.634Kiln C.634 was located 2.9 m to the south of the northern limit of excavation, withinthe area of the moated site. It was sub-rectangular in plan and orientated northwest-southeast. The overall length of the kiln was 3.55 m, while its width narrowed from 1.2m at its southeastern end to 0.9 m at its northwestern end. The base of the kiln steppeddown from a minimum of 0.45 m at its northwestern end to a maximum of 0.98 m at itssoutheastern end. The sides were steep and undercut. The firing pit of the kin was situatedat its southeast end. The firing chamber of the kiln comprised nine fills which could be connected withthe original function of the kiln. They were layers of charcoal material (C.740, C.738 andC.736) alternated by various deposits of grey silt mixed with inclusions of charcoal andburnt clay (C.739, C.765, C.768, C.737 C.736 and C.735).The drying chamber was filledwith two deposits which were probably connected with the use of the kiln (C.632 andC.631). Both these fills also occurred in the firing chamber. The analysis of plant remainsfrom fill C.631 shown evidence of barley and oat grains (see Appendix 4). The kiln wassealed by four backfill layers (C.651, C.650, C.649 and C.633) which were truncated bythe later pit C.875. A perforated bone pin (E3661:735:1) was recovered from one of thebasal fills of this kiln (Plate 9).34 48. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/A steep-sided pit C.875 cut the drying chamber of kiln C.634. It measured 2.3 m inlength by 1.15 m in width and 0.6 m in depth. Fragments of animal bone were recoveredfrom this pit.Kiln C.743A & BKiln C.743A was located 4 m to the west of kiln C.97. It was oval in plan and orientatedNE-SW. The overall length of the kiln was 4.05 m with a maximum width of 1.9 m. Thebase of the kiln was cut into the drying chamber of an earlier kiln C.743B. The base ofkiln C.743A sloped gradually down from a minimum of 0.42 m at its southern end to amaximum of 0.75 m at its northern end. The sides were steep and irregular and the baseof the cut was concave. The deeper, fire reddened northern end of the kiln acted as a firechamber, while the shallower southern end was where the grain was dried. The firing pit was filled with three deposits (C.893, C.892 and C.926) connectedwith the primary function of the kiln. These deposits were overlain by yellow clay withinclusions of burnt clay (C.890 and C.891).The drying part of the kiln was filled with onecharcoal-rich grey silt deposit (0.03 m deep) connected to the last use of the kiln (C.925).The entire kiln was sealed by a deposit (C.889) of grey brown clay with inclusions of peb-bles and small stones (0.12 m deep). The next deposit (C.888) measured 0.13 m in depthand was a layer of re-deposited charcoal rich silt. The last fill (C.887) was a grey sandy silt. Kiln C.743B was orientated NE-SW with the firing pit located in its south-westernend. The drying pit of this kiln was truncated by a later kiln (C.743A). The preserved fir-ing pit of the kiln was 1.2 m long and 1.5 m wide. It was filled with four deposits (C.794,C.269, C.180 and C.155). Two of them (C.269 and C.155) were charcoal rich residues ofburnt wood. The kiln was sealed by two layers of backfill material (C.941 and C.931).Analysis of plant remains from two fills (C.888 and C.893) from kiln C.743A and onefill (C.269) from kiln 743B recognized oat and barley grains within all three samples (seeAppendix 4).Kiln C.872Kiln C.872 was situated partially under the northern balk of excavation 2.3 m southwestof kiln C.1040. The feature was covered with layer of re-deposited medium and largestones (C.918) and a layer of clayey sand (C.919) (Plate 10). The kiln was sub-rectangularin shape and orientated northwest-southeast with the drying chamber on its northwesternside. The overall length of the kiln was 3.5 m, while its width narrowed from 1.2 m at itssoutheastern end to 0.8 m at its northwestern end. The base of the kiln sloped graduallydown from its northwestern end to 0.97 m deep, southeastern end. The sides were steepand the base was slightly concave. The fire reddened southeastern end was filled withcharcoal layers (C.959, C. 953 and C. 951) alternated by layers of ash (C.957 and C.946)and red silt with frequent inclusions of burnt clay (C.952, C.948 and C.947). Four layerssituated in the eastern side of this chamber (C.955, C.950 and C.949) seem to be collapsedmaterial. They were covered with subsequent layers of charcoal (C.951) and ash (C.946).35 49. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEportPlate10:Mid-excavationviewofkilnC872atBusherstownKiln C.989 & C.990Kiln C.989 was situated 4.7 m to the southwest of kiln C.30 and was orientated northeast-southwest. It was difficult to establish the exact shape of the kiln as the sides of the north-ern pit were disturbed by the cut of ditch C.54 (Plate 11). The length of the kiln was 3.19m, while its width narrowed from 1.7 m at its northern end to 1.5 m at its southern end.The base of the kiln sloped gradually down from south to north. The northern firing pitmeasured 1.05 m in depth while the southern pit was 0.96 m deep.The firing part of the kiln was filled with seven fills that were related to the primaryuse of the kiln. The basal fill (C.980) a charcoal rich silty clay measured 0.05 m in depth.Analysis of the plant remains from this deposit identified large quantities of barley andoat grains with a relatively high quantity of rye grains. The fill had an exceptional highproportion of weeds for the examined assemblage. These were identified as common ar-able weeds such as Knotgrass type and Daisy and Marigold type. The deposit containedalso high proportion of Wild radish and Hemp-nettle (see Appendix 4). The secondarydeposit (C.979) was a mix of silt and ash that measured 0.12m in depth. The tertiary fill(C.978) was charcoal rich clay that was 0.06 m deep. This deposit was the remains ofburnt wood from the second firing of the kiln. The fourth deposit (C.977) was yellow redoxidized clay with inclusion of large pieces of charcoal. This fill was 0.09 m deep. A fifthdeposit (C.976) was a charcoal rich clay that measured 0.05 m in depth was the remainsof subsequent firing of the kiln. The next deposit (C.975) was a silty clay that measured0.03 m in depth. The fill was very similar to the subsoil and could be the result of a re-deposition of it. The last charcoal rich deposit (C.974) within the firing pit was a silty clay36 50. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Plate11: Kiln989inditchC54atBusherstownthat measured 0.08 m in depth. This fill appear to be the remains of the last firing of thekiln. The drying part of the kiln was filled with two deposits (C.981 and C.973). The basalfill (C.981) measured 0.23 m in depth. The fill contained charcoal inclusions and appearsto be debris of mixed/dumped material. The silt deposit C.973 was 0.08 m deep and oc-curred in the most southern part of the drying pit. This fill seems to be silted up or col-lapsed material. The kiln was backfilled by two deposits. The lower one (C.972) measured0.15 m in depth. The upper backfill (C.971) was a clay that was 0.66 m deep. The south-western part of Kiln C.990 was truncated by the ditch C.54 and the north-eastern end by a small ditch (C.676). The remaining part of the kiln measured 1.84 min length by 1.29 m in width and 0.41 m in depth. The cut comprised three deposits ofcharcoal or charcoal rich slit (C.987, C.986 and C.985) sealed by re-deposited naturalmaterial (C.984) and an upper most layer of grey brow sandy silt (C.983). The base andthe west side of the cut were fire reddened. It was not possible to establish the orientationof the kiln. The stratigraphic relation between kiln C.990 and C.989 was not determined as theywere both truncated by the later enclosure ditch C.54.37 51. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237archaEological Excavation rEportKiln C.1012The kiln C.1012 was placed 5.8 m to the southeast of the kiln C.189 and was truncated bythe later ditch C.78. The preserved part of the kiln indicated that it was sub-rectangularin shape and was orientated northeast-southwest. The length of the kiln was hard to es-tablish as it was heavily truncated in the northern part by ditch C.78. The preserved partof the kiln was 2.5 m long, while its width narrowed from 1.35 m at its northern end to0.7 m at its southern end. The base of the kiln sloped gradually down from a minimumdepth of 0.26 m at its southern end to a maximum of 0.7 m at its northern end. The wallsof the kiln were steep and the base was flat.The firing chamber of the kiln was filled with four deposits that were related to theoriginal function of the kiln. The primary fill of the fire pit (C.1018) was a charcoal richlayer of sandy silt that measured 0.04 m in depth. The secondary fill (C.1017) containedinclusions of charcoal and lenses of burnt clay. The tertiary fill (C.1014) was charcoalrich sandy silt. The last deposit (C.1015) connected with the primary use of kiln was acharcoal grey clayey silt that was 0.08 m deep. Analysis of the plant remains from thisdeposit identified large quantities of barley and oat grains with a predominance of barley(see Appendix 4).The base of the drying part of the kiln was filled with charcoal rich clayey silt (C.1014)and was 0.11m deep. This fill occurred in both parts of the kiln but in the northern partalso contained small lenses of burnt clay. The kiln was sealed by one backfill (C.1013)which was 0.45 m in depth.Kiln C.1040Kiln C.1040 was located under the northern balk, 2.3 m to the northeast of kiln C.872and was heavily truncated by the ditch C.1026. The remains of the kiln were visible inthe section of ditch C.1026 as a sub-rectangular fire reddened pit. The interior of the kilnwas filled with six deposits. The two lower ones were a deposit of brown red sandy slitwith inclusions of charcoal (C.1039) and a tiny layer of a charcoal rich deposit (C.1038).The next four upper fills (C.1037, C.1046, c.1035 and C.1034) were derived from backfillmaterial. As only the remains of the firing chamber were recorded, the orientation of thekiln and location of the drying chamber are uncertain.InterpretationThe kilns were generally located in a line orientated on a NW-SE axis, with the exceptionof the kilns in the northern part of the site. Further kilns could be located beyond theLMA both north and south of the area of excavation. 60% of the kilns were orientatednortheast-southwest, with the firing chamber located at the north-eastern end in 90% ofthe kilns. 40% were orientated northwest-southeast, three of the firing chambers werelocated at the south-eastern end and two in the north-western end.Three of the kilns were dated, from charred grain, to the early medieval period. Thedates ranged cal AD 657888. A quern stone fragment, a decorated copper alloy strip anda bone pin were the only artefacts recovered from the fills of the kilns. The charred cere-38 52. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/als identified from the kilns consistently show a strong predominance of oat and barley,with only two kilns (C.189 and C.355) producing a combined rye and wheat percentageabove 10 % (see appendix 4). This pattern is consistent with other early medieval cerealprocessing sites.Possible kilnsA total of seven truncated kilns (C.191, C.421, C.696, C.802, C.811, C.1041 and C.1042)were recorded on the site. They were similar in plan to the group of 17 but were sub-stantially shallower and the same degree of burning was not apparent. Kiln C.421, forexample was visible as a fire-scorched red patch of burnt subsoil, figure-of-eight plan, onthe south-eastern edge of the area of excavation. One of the group (C.1041) was truncatedby the ditch C.63. Charred grain was recorded, though not identified in two of the kilns(C.191 and C.802). No Cut no Shape in plan Orientation Location Length WidthDepth (m)Truncatedof fire(m) (m) bybowl 1C.191 Figure-of-8 NW-SE SE 2.7 1.13-1.660.23-0.32- 2C.421 Figure-of-8 NW-SE NW 1.8 1.16-1.9 NA - 3C.696 Figure-of-8 NW-SE SE?2.0 1.45-0.750.07-0.2- 4C.802 Figure-of-8 NE-SW NW?2.831.10.38 C.699 5C.811 Figure-of-8 NE-SW NE?2.110.78 0.22 C.815 6C.1041 ?NE-SW?NE?NANA NA C.63 7C.1042 Figure-of-8NE-SW NE?1.751.40.27-Table2Dimensionsandorientationof7truncatedcereal-dryingkilnsKiln C.191Kiln C.191 was located 3.85 m to the southeast of kiln C.989. It was sub-rectangular inshape and was orientated northwest-southeast with a possible fire pit at its southwest end.It measured 2.7 m in length and the width narrowed from 1.66 m at its southern end to0.13 m at its northern end. The base of the pit sloped gradually down from a minimumof 0.23 m at its northern end to a maximum of 0.32 m at its southern end. The sideswere moderate and irregular and the base was concave. This feature was filled with sixdeposits. The basal fill was a clayey sand (C.227). The secondary fill (C.226) was a clay siltwith inclusions of charcoal and burnt clay. The skull of a small animal, possibly a rodent,was found within this fill. The tertiary fill (C.203) was a clayey silt. The upper thin layerof charcoal rich clayey silt (C.222) was covered with grey brown clayey silt (C.190) withinclusions of charcoal. A high percentage of seeds were recorded, but not identified fromone of the fills (C.226) of this kiln.Kiln C.421A burnt subsoil patch C.421 was situated next to the southern limit of excavation, 14 mto the south-west of kiln C.1012. It was figure-of-eight in plan and orientated northwest-southeast with the deeper part at the northwest end. It measured 1.8 m in length and was39 53. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEport N7CN Busherstown E3661 SE facing section of corn drying kiln C.355 C.335C.382 C.402C.355C.405 C.404C.403Pit C.1043C.401 C.514C.513C.514C.542C.540C.565C.541 C.580C.539C.579C.588C.602 C.589C.604 C.590C.648C.672C.601C.668C.671 C.600C.663C.670 C.35510 cm 0 50 cmFigure14:SectionplanofkilnC355andpitC1043atBusherstown460 465 786688462 686458819 467674 805811 349468684 678 882 880873 680 682 815815 834 884 863 Structure C 817 809634441349497628 6476466205561059731 669 61461666 612664741644 6271008 751642 839Structure D355 662Kilns0 5mFigure15:Post-excavationplanofBuildingsCandDwithinmoatedsiteatBusherstown40 54. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/1.8 m wide at the north and 1.16 m wide at the south. The base sloped gradually from thesouth-eastern end to the 0.2 m deeper north-western part. A deposit of charcoal rich siltysand (C.424) was located in the northwestern part of this feature.Kiln C.696Kiln C.696 was located close to the western limits of the excavation and was figure-of-eight shaped. It was orientated WNW-ESE and was 2 m long and 0.2 m deep. The widthof the feature narrowed from c. 1.45 m at its eastern end to 0.75 m at its western end. Thebase slopes gently from the minimum of 0.07 m in the western end to the maximum of0.2 m in the eastern end which suggests that the firing bowl was located at the SE end.The cut was filled with brown grey sandy silt with inclusions of pebbles and charcoal(C.697).Kiln C.802Kiln C.802 was located 3.4 m to the northwest of kiln C.97 and 4.5 m to the northwestof kiln 743A. It was orientated NE-SW with the slightly deeper part at the NE end. Itwas sub-rectangular in plan and measured 2.83 m in length by 1.1 m in width and 0.38m in depth. The cut was filled with a mix of dark brown silt with inclusions of pebbles,charcoal and re-deposited natural (C.803). Fragments of animal bones and charred seedswere recorded within the fill. The charred seeds were not identified. The base was cut intothe gravel layer. The southeastern edge of the feature was truncated by furrow C.699.Kiln C.811Kiln C.811 was located inside the moated site, 7.3 m to the northwest of kiln C.355. Itwas 2.11 m long by 0.78 m wide with a wider chamber situated at its northeast end. Thebase of the cut sloped gently down from a minimum of 0.17 m at its southwestern end toa maximum of 0.22 m at its northeastern end. The northeast part of the feature was filledwith a deposit of large and medium size stones mixed with compact clayey sand (C.808)and inclusions of charcoal and ash, which suggests that the firing bowl was located at thisend. The southwest end was covered with a sandy clay (C.812). It was truncated by a slottrench (C.815) associated with Structure C.Kiln C.1041Kiln C.1041 was located 8 m to the east of kiln C.30 and was severely truncated by ditchC.63.The remains of the kiln were recorded in the section of ditch C.63 and comprisedthree deposits. They were a fire affected sandy silt (C.66), a mix of burnt clay and sandysilt (C.68) and a charcoal rich deposit of grey clayey silt (C.65). In the same section theremains of re-deposited subsoil material, connected with the backfilling of the kiln wererecorded.Kiln C.1042Kiln C.1042 was situated 2.8 m to the north-west of kiln C.74. The cut was orientatedNE/SW with its deeper part at the SW end. The remains of the pit were a shallow cut in 41 55. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportthe shape of figure-of-eight. It measured 2.5 m in length by 1 m in width. The base wasapproximately 0.15 m deep. The feature was filled with two deposits: a brown clayey sandwith inclusions of charcoal and small stones (C.202), overlain by orange brown clayeysand (C.217) with inclusions of charcoal and small and medium stones.BuildingsA total of six buildings, including the prehistoric round house Building A, were recordedwithin and outside the annexe and within the area of the moated site. Three of them wereassociated with kilns and date to the early medieval period. Building LocationPhase Association ASouth of the annexe Prehistoric BInterior of annexeearly medieval Truncated kiln C.490 CInterior of moated site high medieval Truncated kiln C.811 DInterior of moated site high medieval Truncated kiln C.355 EInterior of annexeearly medieval Enclosed kiln C.30 and C.774 FInterior of annexeearly medievalTable3NumberanddateofbuildingslocatedatBusherstownStructure BStructure B was located in the annexe (see Figure 18). It comprised a sub-circular wallfoundation trench C.392 with an entrance located on the north side (Plate 12). The di-ameter of the structure was 6.7 m on the NW-SE axis and 6.1 m on the NE-SW axis.The total length of the foundation trench measured 15.3 m and was 0.33 m wide andon average 0.32 m deep with steep, straight sides and a wide concave base. A single fill(C.391) was recorded in the foundation trench. A piece of flint debitage (E3661:391:1) wasrecovered from the fill. The eastern terminus of the foundation trench was defined by twopost-holes (C.550 and C.548) and two stake-holes (C.576 and C.578). The exact location ofthe western terminus was unclear because of the location of the kiln C.490. A single post-hole C.499 was located 1m north-east of the intersection of the foundation trench andthe kiln C.490 and it could have defined the western side of the entrance. The entrance,between post-holes C.499 and C.550 was 3.2 m wide. The remains of an occupation layer(C.746) was recorded within the structure. It was 0.07 m in depth. A single pit C.581 waslocated outside the area of the entrance.The foundation trench cut through the upper fill of kiln C.490 (see plate 12). The slottrench deepened where it cut the kiln C.490 to a depth of 0.5 m. The relationship betweenthe kiln C.90 and the foundation trench was not established. The foundation trenchcould have been cut by the kiln C.90 or was associated with it. This area was truncated bydeep modern agricultural furrows.Structure CA small structure (3.8 m by 1.7 m) was situated in the interior of the moated site (Fig-ure 15). It comprised an L-shaped foundation trench (C.815), two post-holes (C.809 and42 56. bUShErStown-E3661http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/Plate12:ViewofBuildingBandkilnC490inbackgroundfromnorthatBusherstownC.880) and a pit (C.882). The L-shaped foundation trench measured 4 m by 0.3 m by 0.18m in depth and it cut the kiln C.811. A post-hole C.809 was located in the eastern returnof the trench. The pit C.882 and post-hole C.880 were situated to the NW of the trenchC.815 .A single pit, three post-holes and five stake-holes were located in vicinity of the L-shaped foundation trench and kiln. The pit C.805 was situated 0.47 m to the NW of thekiln C.811 and may have been in the interior of the structure. It was circular in planwith a concave base and was filled with black brown silty clay with inclusions of charcoal.Three stake-holes (C.834, C.863 and C.817) were located to the south of the slot trench.They may have been associated with the kiln or the foundation trench. One post-hole(C.786) and one stake-hole (C.819) were situated to the 1.2 m to the north of the trench.A single post-hole C.884 and stake-hole C.873 were cut into the base of the kiln C.811.Structure DA group of three foundation trenches, six pits, two stake-holes, one post-hole and threemetalled surfaces were located in the south-eastern corner of the moated site (see Figure15, see plate 13). The features comprised an incomplete building or a shelter associatedwith a work area which was located c. 1.5 m inside the curve of the south-eastern cornerof the moated site ditch C.44.43 57. iSSUE 13: Eachtra JoUrnal - iSSn 2009-2237 archaEological Excavation rEportPlate13:ViewofinteriorofmoatedsiteandditchC44atBusherstown The three foundation trenches (C.662, C.839 and C.1008) enclosed the southern andsouth-eastern sides of an area which measured c. 3.1 m north-south by 3.3 m east-west. Apossible entrance (0.7 m wide) was recorded in the south-east corner. Context Dimensions (m) 662 3 x 0.3 x 0.3 839 2 x 0.17 x 0.38 10082.5 x 0.4 x 0.41Table4DimensionsoftheslottrenchesassociatedwithStructureDTwo of them (C.662 and C.839) were curve-linear in plan with flat bases and the third(C.1008) was linear in plan with a concave base. Slot trench C.662 was the most definedof the three, it truncated the south-eastern edge of the cereal-drying kiln C.355. Foursmall areas of metalling (C.55, C.59, C.61 and C.406) were located c. 3.5 m north-west ofthe slot trenches. They extended over a length of c. 6.6 m. One of the metalled surfaces(C.406) overlay the kiln C.355, a small quantity of animal bone was recovered from thislayer.A group of five small pits (C.627, C.644, C.666, C.741 and C. 751), two post-holes(C.614 and C.664) and two stake-holes (C.612 and C.642) were located in the space be-tween the slot trenches and the metalled surfaces.Four large refuse pits (C.441, C.646, C.669 and C.1043) and a hearth (C.674) werelocated in the vicinity. One of the pits (C1043) cut the early medieval kiln C.355. Theother three pits were located to the north-east and west. Animal bone was recovered from44 58. bUShErStown-E3661 http://eachtra.ie/index.php/journal/e3661-busherstown-co-offaly/some of the fills of the pits, it was burnt and fragmentary (see Appendix 7). Iron slag wasrecovered from some of the pits but no features of metallurgical origin were identified.The slag is indicative of iron smithing in the general area (see Appendix 9).ContextDimensions (m)Associated finds4412.05 x 1.36 x 0.8 Animal bone6461.75 x 1.55 x 0.75Animal bone & slag6692.66 x 2 x 3.8Animal bone, quernstone fragment (E3661:777:1) & rubbing stone (E3661:777:2) 10432.35 x 0.6 x 0.35 Animal bone & slagTable5DimensionsofthefourlargepitsSeven stake-holes (C.458, C.460, C.462, C.465, C.467, C.468 and C.497) and a shortsection of a foundation trench (C.349) were located between the two northern pits (C.441and C.646). A layer of charcoal rich sandy silt C.268 (2.5 m by 1.1 m by 0.23m) overlaythe pit C.441, the stake-holes and the trench. An additional five post-holes were locatedon the edge of the pit C.646.The hearth (C.674) was situated 2.8 m to the north-east of pit C. 441. It was filledwith charcoal