EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Monaghan
Lisanisk, Co. Monaghan
Early Medieval Settlement Enclosure.
Grid Ref: H85030370 (285030/303700)
SMR No: N/A
Excavation Licence: 03E0890
Excavation Duration/Year: March - September 2003.
Site Director: T. Coughlan (Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.)
The site was discovered during topsoil stripping in advance of road construction, which
revealed a double-ditched enclosure (external diameter of 60m; internal diameter of 40m)
(Fig. 250). There was no stratigraphic evidence to suggest that the construction of the
ditches was not contemporary, although the inner ditch appears to have been deliberately infilled
during the seventh/eighth century. A number of internal features, pits, postholes and
two possible structures were also discovered.
The outer ditch was broadly U-shaped in profile, with a maximum width of 3.3m, and a
maximum depth of 1.4m. The lower ditch fills were almost completely sterile, with the
exception of occasional animal bone fragments; and the upper fill was likely to be associated
with the deliberate filling of the ditch. A coin dated to 1692 was found in the upper fill,
indicating that the ditch remained open until at least this time. The enclosure, however, was
not recorded on the First Edition OS maps, suggesting that it was finally in-filled in the
intervening years. An articulated human skeleton discovered in the ditch would appear to
have been a casualty of an attack on the nearby crannog in 1647.
The inner ditch was broadly V-shaped in profile, with a maximum width of 1.5m, and a
maximum depth of 1.1m. Like the outer ditch, it had been filled largely with generally sterile
re-deposited clays. Waste material dumped into the upper fill of the eastern ditch section,
however, included occasional sherds of pottery and lumps of slag and charcoal. It is likely
that this material is associated with two specific areas of industrial activity located within the
outer ditch, and to the south-west and west of the inner ditch.
The excavation of the west side of the inner ditch revealed a substantial cut through the ditch
in this area to widen and deepen it. A probable smithing hearth was identified at the base of
this cut with a number of associated stakeholes (interpreted as a possible shelter), and
spreads of charcoal and burning. The hearth appeared originally to have been too large and
so was relined to make it smaller, possibly after only one use. Excavation of the material
filling the re-cut revealed two main dumps of waste material consisting of blackened soil with
significant amounts of slag, along with a substantial portion of one tuyère, and more than 30
fragments from others. It was originally thought that the large amount of slag and
hammerscale sampled from the area may indicate the making of weapons for the 1641
uprising. However, radiocarbon dates (see below) have placed this metalworking to the end
of the seventh century, and thus contemporary with the site occupation.
Another area of industrial activity was located 16m to the south-east of this smithing hearth
and probably represented an immediate continuation of a similar activity. It was initially
identified as an area of rough kerbing, to the north of which was located another possible
smithing hearth, along with an associated working platform. It is possible that part of the
kerbing supported the bellows for the hearth. The area contained a large amount of charcoal
and waste metal and slag fragments.
A number of internal features – pits, postholes and two possible structures – were also
identified on the site. These features were evident between the two ditches as well as within
the inner ditch enclosure. There are no specific dates or functions for any of this material. A
small cluster of seven stakeholes in the centre of the site may represent the location of a
small hut. A second possible small hut, with an associated hearth, may be located in the
north-east of the inner enclosure, but there was no evidence of large-scale permanent
structures or houses. A large pit between the two ditches, in the north-west of the site, may
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