EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

possible
Roestown, Co Meath Non-circular 1 (unfinished, O’Hara 2009, 42
possibly broken
during production)
Rosepark, Balrothery, Co. Dublin Non-circular 1 Carroll 2008, 53
Scholarstown, Co. Dublin Ringfort 1 Keely 1985
Treanbaun, Co. Galway
Cemetery/
settlement
1 Lehane et al 2010, 146
Tully, Co. Antrim ringfort 1 Harper 1970
Table 8.2: Examples of rural secular sites with ‘loom weights’
The specific craft of tablet (or card) weaving is also attested, with finds of tablets from six
sites (see Table 8.3). These tablets, which could be made of wood, bone, stone, leather or
metal, contain a number of perforated holes through which warp threads were passed; the
rotation of different tablets while the weft was threaded produced decorative patterned
braids. While most tablets were square, like the example with worn holes from Rathtinaun
crannog (Raftery undated), a possible triangular example with three perforations was
identified at Lagore (Hencken 1950, 195-6). As with loom weights, multiple tablets would be
used for decorative braids; however, the rural sites produced just one example each. Larger
quantities occur on some urban sites, however; six wooden tablets were excavated at
Fishamble Street and five bone tablets at High Street, Dublin (Pritchard 1988, 151), with
additional examples at Christchurch Place, Dublin (Ó Ríordáin 1973 & 1974), and Bride Street,
Wexford (Bourke 1995, 35). As with other textiles, surviving examples of the braids thus
produced are limited. Two fragments of tablet-woven braid – one fringed and the other with
a raised chevron pattern – were found at Lagore (Start 1950, 214-7). The Lagore braids were
made of wool and hair, but more elaborate braids of wool, silver and gold thread and silk
were found at Christchurch Place, Fishamble Street, High Street and John’s Lane, Dublin
(Pritchard 1988). It should be noted, however, that tablet-weaving could also be used to
produce starting bands for loom-woven textiles (Wincott Heckett 2011, 362), so decorative
braids need not be assumed.
Name Site type Number Reference
Ballycasey More, Co. Clare Univallate 1 (bone) O’Neill 2003
Deer Park Farms, Co. Antrim raised 1 (leather) Wincott Heckett 2011, 361
Killederdadrum, Co. Tipperary Univallate 1 (stone) Manning 1984, 257
Knowth, Co. Meath Raised 1 (bone) FitzGerald 2012, 559
Lagore, Co. Meath Crannog 1 (bone) Hencken 1950, 195-6
Rathtinaun, Co. Sligo Crannog 1 (bone) Raftery undated
Table 8.3: Examples of rural settlement sites with possible weaving tablets
Other implements connected with weaving include pin-beaters, made of thin rods of wood or
of bones (metatarsals or tibia) with tapering ends; these tools could have been used to
compact the weft threads in either a vertical warp-weighted loom or weaving tablets. Possible
bone beater-pins have been recorded at various sites including Carraig Aille (Hodkinson 1987,
49); Shaneen Park, Ballyaghagan (Hodkinson 1987, 49); Raheennamadra (Hodkinson 1987,
50); Raystown (Seaver 2010, 277); Castlefarm (O’Connell 2009, 51); Clonfad (Stevens 2007,
43); Mount Offaly (Conway 1999); Scandinavian Dublin (Heckett 2003, 98) and Waterford
(Scully 1997, 470). An antler single-ended pin-beater associated with the use of the twobeam
vertical loom was recorded at Cloghermore cave (Connolly & Coyne 2005, 109), and
was dated to the tenth-twelfth century based on similarities to items from Coppergate, York.
A possible pin-beater or spindle from the foundation layer of the millpond of mill 2 at
Nendrum finds its closest parallel with the largest of three examples from Deer Park Farms
(Earwood 1993, 134-6; 2007, 231-2). Wooden weaving swords, used for beating up the weft
threads, were found at Littleton Bog (Edwards 1990, 82), and at High Street, Dublin (Ó
Ríordáin 1984, 137; Heckett 2003, 90). An iron flat-shaped weaver’s sword was also
recovered from the floor of a sunken building in Olaf Street in Scandinavian Waterford
(Hurley 1997, 670). Six possible tenterhooks for stretching woollen cloth after it was woven
were found at Knowth (FitzGerald 2012, 560-1).
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