EMAP_2012_Report_6_1.pdf (7.3 MB) - The Heritage Council

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Chapter 6: Early medieval stone-working Introduction As one of the most basic raw materials, stone was widely exploited in early medieval Ireland. A range of stones were used, including granite, limestone and sandstone as well as chert, flint, jet and lignite. The latter two may have been imported into Ireland though there are extensive deposits of lignite in Co. Antrim and around Lough Neagh (Comber 2008, 59). Stone was utilised as a building material for houses, walls, souterrains and other structures and for the manufacture of a wide range of objects such as querns, mill-stones, bullauns, grave-markers, whet-stones, spindle-whorls, lamps and beads throughout the early medieval period. The earliest sources make no reference to specialised stone-masons, stone-cutters and sculptors. However, the evolution of the sáer from primarily describing a carpenter in the earliest, original eighth century texts of the Uraicecht Brecc into a stone mason in later texts and other sources, indicates the increasing importance of the stone sculptor around the turn of the first millennium A.D. (MacLean 1995, 125, 129). While the technical ability was probably available to most people to manufacture simple everyday domestic items, the sculptors and masons who carved the high crosses and supervised the construction of stone structures must have been highly experienced. A range of tools such as stone axes, hammerstones, iron hammers and wooden mallets used in conjunction with chisels, punches and wedges were part of the stone mason’s tool-kit and Comber (2008, 63) has discussed the finds of these tools at early medieval settlement sites. Ornament could also be inscribed on stone monuments such as the carved high crosses, stone lamps and quern stones. Iron dividers were found at Garryduff (O'Kelly 1963, 47) and these may have been used as a form of a compass for achieving this decoration (Comber 2008, 64). 6.1: Building material As a building material, stone appears to have been most widely exploited towards the turn of the first millennium A.D. on both secular and ecclesiastical sites. The drystone corbelled clocháns and oratories were one of the earliest stone-built structures which had appeared by at least the eighth or ninth century (Marshall and Walsh 2005, 103-24). These were probably contemporary with a small set of mortared shrine chapels such as Temple Ciaran at Clonmacnoise that emerged in the same period. (Ó Carragáin 2003, 132) with masonry churches and round towers appearing in the tenth century but becoming more common in the eleventh and twelfth (O'Keeffe 2003, 72; Ó Carragáin 2005b, 138; Manning 2009, 277). On both ecclesiastical and secular sites, rectangular houses, often constructed using low drystone walls or kerbs of boulders on edge became common from the tenth century (Lynn 1994, 92; O'Sullivan 2008, 231-2; O'Sullivan and Nicholls 2011). The main use of souterrains also appears to have occurred in the last quarter of the first millennium and the first century or two of the second millennium A.D. (Clinton 2001, 95). The various schools of stone carved high crosses date mainly from the later eighth- tenth century with a further revival during the twelfth century (Edwards 1990, 164-8) and sculpted cross-slabs also became more prevalent at the turn of the second millennium. The evidence for over 700 carved cross-slabs, 6 high crosses and a large collection of domestic and religious stone artefacts at Clonmacnoise would indicate that some of the larger monasteries supported a number of highly-skilled master masons and apprentices in this period (King 2009, 339-41). 6.2: Artefacts A total of 158 settlements within the EMAP 2012 gazetteer had evidence for the use of stone artefacts while 99 were associated with objects of lignite. 35 sites had evidence for the working or manufacture of stone artefacts while only 7 were associated with the working of lignite. Stone was widely used in the manufacture of equipment used in contemporary early medieval crafts such as moulds and motif-pieces. Metal objects were often finished and sharpened using whet-stones/hone-stones and grind-stones (Comber 2008, 60). Whetstones are one of the most common early medieval artefacts and have been recorded on the 66
majority of excavated early medieval domestic sites (O'Connor 1991). These can vary greatly in size with some consisting of narrow pebbles or stones, barely worked but smoothed through use but others were more carefully-shaped, rectangular objects with a perforation at the top to hold a copper-alloy ring for suspension, perhaps at the waist (Edwards 1990, 96). Most sites have produced a few fragments of whetstones though considerable numbers are known from a small number of excavated sites such as Garranes (25), Carraig Aille (107), Garryduff I (125), Cahercommaun (524), Ballinderry II (192) and Scandinavian Waterford (over 234) (O'Connor 1991, 45-6; McCutcheon 1997c, 410). Map 6.1 Early medieval settlements with evidence for stone-working in Ireland (numbers refer to EMAP 2012 gazetteer) 67
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The Early Medieval Archaeology Proj
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Table of Contents Section 1: An Ove
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value to excavation reports far bey
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Fig. 1.2: Percentages of site types
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Map 1.1: Map of site that produced
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Map 1.3a: Map of site that produced
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Page 16 and 17:
Map 1.5: Map of site that produced
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Page 20 and 21: Map 1.8: Map of site that produced
Page 22 and 23: Map 1.9: Map of site that produced
Page 24 and 25: Map 1.11: Geological evidence for s
Page 26 and 27: data from over 300 sites, and has p
Page 28 and 29: 2.2: Iron artefacts on Irish early
Page 30 and 31: 2012 gazetteer as well as at Randal
Page 32 and 33: also been found within or close to
Page 34 and 35: superstructure (ibid. 117). A few a
Page 36 and 37: 2.4.1: Smithing Secondary smithing
Page 38 and 39: working furnace at Rathgurreen and
Page 40 and 41: smithing and bloom smithing (827 kg
Page 42 and 43: number of hearths as indicative of
Page 44 and 45: univallate enclosures at Lisleagh 1
Page 46 and 47: Chapter 3: Early Medieval Non-Ferro
Page 48 and 49: Map 3.1: Map showing distribution o
Page 50 and 51: little Irish work has been undertak
Page 52 and 53: 3.2.4: Motif-pieces Stone, antler,
Page 54 and 55: supported by the evidence on most l
Page 56 and 57: needle (ibid. 144-49). However, McE
Page 58 and 59: ferrous metal-working relative to s
Page 60 and 61: glass-working which might suggest t
Page 62 and 63: 93). One decorated millefiori rod a
Page 64 and 65: Map 5.1: Map of Ireland showing evi
Page 66 and 67: handles, some smoothed and undecora
Page 68 and 69: comb of Scottish origin at Castlefa
Page 72 and 73: Grindstones are circular stones wit
Page 74 and 75: North and appear to have been disca
Page 76 and 77: APPENDIX 1 Site Site type Metalwork
Page 78 and 79: Site Site type Metalworking Residue
Page 84 and 85: Site Site type Metal-working Artefa
Page 86 and 87: Site Site type Metal-working featur
Page 88 and 89: Site Site type Evidence Reference A
Page 90 and 91: Site name Evidence Reference Athlum
Page 92 and 93: Armagh: Cathedral Hill, Co. Armagh
Page 94 and 95: Site name Evidence Reference Ballin
Page 96 and 97: Site name Evidence Reference Aghade
Page 98 and 99: Site name Evidence Reference Legget
Page 100 and 101: Co. Antrim Ballyhenry II, Co. Antri
Page 102 and 103: Co. Louth Donegore, Co. Antrim Doon
Page 104 and 105: Co. Monaghan Lisleitrim, Co. Armagh
Page 106 and 107: Townland/Site Name Site Type Commen
Page 108 and 109: young lords of territories; six in
Page 110 and 111: The only ornaments which appear in
Page 112 and 113: perhaps adopted only by a minority
Page 114 and 115: Clogher, Co. Tyrone Multivallate pl
Page 116 and 117: Fig 3.2: brooches by site types (40
Page 118 and 119: Cloghermore, Dalkey Island, Dooey,
Page 120 and 121:
Of the 216 sites with personal orna
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Glass is the most common material f
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Chapter 8: Manufacturing on Rural S
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weft-beaters or other weaving-relat
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the preparatory stage occurred in t
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Carraig Aille II 33 18 stone, 15 bo
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possible Roestown, Co Meath Non-cir
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Fig. 8.3: Location of sites with ev
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matting. Rush seeds were found in t
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(Lennon 1994, 59), Rathgurreen (Com
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Cherrywood Other Pin slag Collierst
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Significant evidence for metal-work
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Kilkenny 1 1 Longford 1 1 Ulster 13
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Dooey Other Pins bone working evide
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APPENDIX 2 Site Site type Preparati
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Marshes Upper Non-circular Y Y Y Mi
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Bayley, D. 2003:1286. Newtownbalreg
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Brady, N. & Gibson, P. 2005. The Ea
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Chart, D.A. 1940. A Preliminary Sur
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- 1994. Atlantic fortifications: Th
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Delaney, S. 2003:1272. Carn More, F
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Doyle, T. 2008. Hair of the dog. Se
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- 2006b. Archaeological discoveries
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social transformation c. A.D. 500-1
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Papers from the Proceedings of the
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- 2010. Viking elements in Irish to
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- 1999. The Vikings in the Kingdom
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Lennon, A. M. & Henry, M. 2000. Pre
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McCarthy, A. 1986:29. Ballybunion,
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Since the Roman Period. London & Sy
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- 1988. Excavations at Lisleagh Rin
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NAC leaflet. 2011. Steeple Road, An
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Meath. Unpublished report prepared
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- 1951-2a. St. Gobnet’s House, Ba
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- 2005b. Medieval fish traps on the
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- 1953. Preliminary report on Excav
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- 1958. Two souterrains at Bawntaaf
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- 2007. Clonfad 3: A unique glimpse
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Historical Journal, 3, 165-86. Wadd
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- 1971. A Marshland Habitation Site
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Zajac, S. 2002:1382. Carrowkeel, Co
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