EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

Clonmacnoise, Armagh and Nendrum also clearly supported craftsmen engaged in specialist
iron-, metal- and glass-production.
Other theories have been advanced about the organisation of early medieval iron-working.
Mytum (1992, 234) interpreted the evidence of the law-tracts as meaning that smiths worked
in permanent forges for a surrounding community of farmers and has argued that each túath
had one head blacksmith who was a major figure in the territory at these sites. However,
Carlin (2008, 111) has criticised this model, noting that the archaeological evidence is not
consistent with this centralised approach, but is instead replete with ‘isolated’ iron-working
features such as those along the M4 and ‘examples of high-quality, small-scale, localised ‘doit-yourself’
smithing that was being undertaken by independent farmers’. The focus of the
early literary sources on high-status sites might explain why these sources failed to account
for, or mention the importance of, the iron-working activities at smaller, ordinary farmsteads
in early medieval Ireland.
Although knowledge of the basics of iron-working was probably widespread in early medieval
society, excavations have revealed considerable variability in the extent and character of
evidence at various forms of settlements. The slag assemblages from most excavated early
medieval sites typically range from 30-200kg although there are a growing number of sites
with assemblages over 1000kg (Wallace & Anguilano 2010b, 73), perhaps indicative of
specialised iron-working sites. However, it is often difficult to determine the duration of the
iron-working activity at some sites (e.g. Johnstown) while the extent of the excavated area
on different sites and the size of the sample of metallurgical debris taken can vary
considerably, skewing our perception of the character of iron-working at these places.
Comber recognised 14 sites with extensive evidence for iron-working and 37 with average
evidence (Comber 2008, 123-4). The weight of iron slag from early medieval sites can give a
very rough indicator of the scale of such activities and was readily available for 60 sites within
the EMAP 2012 gazetteer (Appendix 1). This obviously represents accumulated weight over
periods of time and has to take into account that some processes may produce more residues
than others. Nonetheless it gives an indication of the range and scale of work.
A total of 148 sites had no ferrous metallurgical residue. While many of these could be a
result of extent of excavation or what excavators chose to record in older reports it is a
sizeable percentage of the sample. It is striking that some very large excavated settlements
have revealed very little iron working debris. Eighteen of the sites in the EMAP 2012
gazetteer had 10kg of metallurgical residue or less. This includes sites such as Baronstown
(Linnane & Kinsella 2009b), Dowdstown (Cagney & O’Hara 2009) and long lived enclosed
cemeteries such as Owenbristy (Tierney & Delaney 2011) and Collierstown (O’Hara 2009c).
Some of these sites had very large excavated areas. This would suggest that iron-working on
these sites occurred very infrequently and those within either carried out smelting and
smithing at other locations or went to smiths at other settlements.
Twenty eight sites had between 10kg and 100kg of metallurgical residue. This ranged from
massive complexes like Roestown 2 (10kg), univallate settlements like Mackney (46kg,
Delaney 2009, 44), the cemetery and settlement at Ratoath (73kg, Wallace 2010) and the
univallate settlement and workshop at Killickaweeny (86kg, Walsh 2008).
Six sites had between 100 and 200kg of metallurgical residue. This included sites with
multiple metalworking areas like Borris (142kg, Wallace & Anguilano 2010a), univallate
enclosures with workshops like Gortnahown 2 (158kg, Young 2009b) and settlements with
cemeteries like Parcnahown (100kg, Young 2009c) and Balriggan (113kg, Photos-Jones
2011). Three sites had between 250 and 500kg of metallurgical residue. These comprised the
univallate settlement and smithy at Sallymount (265kg, Clarke & Long 2009), the Viking
settlement at Woodstown including smelting and smithing (272kg, Young 2009d) and the
royal site at Knowth (341kg, Eogan 1977). Six settlements in the EMAP 2012 gazetteer
contained 500kg or more. These were settlements with cemeteries at Johnstown (2200kg,
Photos-Jones 2008a) and Carrigatogher Harding (750kg, Taylor 2009), the multivallate and
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