EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

Lisduggan North Univallate Buckle Crucible fragment
Lisleagh I Multivallate pin (with iron), buckle & bead Bronze-working debris
Lissue Univallate Pin (with iron) Slate motif piece
Lough Faughan Crannog penannular brooch, 1 pin Crucibles, copper slag, clay mould
Marlinstown multivallate bracelet & ring Crucible fragments
Moynagh Lough Crannog 2 brooches, 7 pins, 2 rings Crucible fragments; 600+ mould
fragments, including 3 brooch
moulds
Newtownlow Crannog 20 pins Crucible fragments
Parknahown Cemetery/ 2 brooches, 13 pins, 1
Crucible fragment
settlement bead/necklace fragment
Platin Multivallate 1 ringed pin Crucible fragments
Raheennamadra Univallate Pin crucible
Rathgurreen Multivallate Pin (with iron) Crucibles
Rathtinaun Crannog 1 brooch, at least 9 pins,
crucibles
bracelets, rings
Ratoath Non-circular brooch & neck-ring Crucible sherd
Roestown 2 Non-circular 32 pin fragments, 1 buckle crucible fragments, copper alloy
residue, bone motif pieces
Woodstown Other Pin Crucible fragments
Table 8.8: Sites with copper-alloy ornaments and evidence of non-ferrous
manufacturing
In three of the sites above – Cloghermore, Ratoath and Woodstown – the copper alloy
ornaments were found in burial contexts; at Cloghermore, the crucible also was found with
human remains. At that site at least, the evidence might suggest that one of the deceased
interred in the cave was a metal-worker, rather than that metal-working was being carried
out on site. In the case of Ratoath, the copper-alloy neck-ring has been identified as an
Anglo-Saxon type which may have been imported to the site (O’Brien 2009).
While the focus here is primarily on copper alloy, other sites produced evidence of gold and
silver working; few of these sites produced ornaments made of these metals, but the
possibility of their use in embellishing copper-alloy ornaments should be borne in mind.
Knowth had crucible evidence for both gold and silverworking, while a gold ingot at Moynagh
Lough suggests this metal was being used there.
Glass-working
The centralised manufacture of various glass ornaments has been suggested, particularly in
relation to the glass bangles, which may originally have been developed and produced in the
kingdom of Brega, under royal patronage operating from the sites of Lagore, Knowth and
Moynagh Lough (Carroll 2001, 107). One study showed that over half of all glass bangles
were found in county Meath (Carroll 2001, 103; see Table 8.9 for update), with significant
quantities from these high-status sites in particular. Two of these sites – Lagore and Moynagh
Lough – are among the four sites with glass bracelets which also have evidence for glass
working; the others are Garryduff and Island MacHugh. The evidence from the first two
sites, both crannogs, is primarily in the form of glass stud moulds and glass rods, with an
unfinished glass bead at Moynagh Lough; Garryduff produced a blob of molten glass, and
Island MacHugh enamel residues in crucibles. While there was no direct evidence for the
manufacture of glass bracelets there, the excavator of Lagore suggested it was probable
(Hencken 1950, 12); such manufacture need not leave specific traces (see Carroll 2001, 103
for the process).
Modern Province Modern county Sites Total bracelets
Leinster 15 46
Louth 1 1
Meath 6 29
Westmeath 1 1
Offaly 1 7
Dublin 2 3
Kildare 1 1
Wicklow 1 2
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