The Excavation of an Unenclosed House of the Early Christian Period at Drumadonnell,County Down,...

Ulster Archaeological Society

The Excavation of an Unenclosed House of the Early Christian Period at Drumadonnell,County DownAuthor(s): Cormac McSparron, David A. Weir and Eileen M. MurphySource: Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Third Series, Vol. 60 (2001), pp. 47-56Published by: Ulster Archaeological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20568270 .

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Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Vol 60, 2001

THE EXCAVATION OF AN UNENCLOSED HOUSE OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD AT DRUMADONNELL, COUNTY DOWN

CORMAC McSPARRON Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology,

Queen's University, Belfast*

with contributions by EILEEN MURPHY & DAVID A WEIR

A site at Drumadonnell, Co Down, is identified as that of a sub-circular house

of the second half of the first millennium AD.

INTRODUCTION In 1999 Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd were

contracted by the Southern Education and Library Board

to carry out archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping in advance of the construction of a new primary school at Drumadonnell, Moneyslane, Co Down (IGR J242

388) (Fig 1). Monitoring of topsoil stripping began on

20 January 1999 and excavation was carried out between

26 January and 7 February 1999. The surrounding land

is gently undulating and currently mostly usedforpasture. The topsoil is good quality loam above a buff-to-orange

sandy clay subsoil. There is a stream just to the north of

the site.

BACKGROUND The area was selected for archaeological surveillance

because it was the location of an Early Christian high cross which is currently housed at Castlewellan Forest

Park. The cross had been built into the wall of the old

Drumadonnell primary school, apparently after it was

damaged by a group of Presbyterian 'seceders' who

attacked it as a 'popish' symbol in 1778 (Bigger 1908,

56). But there is a difference of opinion as to whether

Drumadonnell was the original location of the cross.

Bigger believed that the cross was originally at 'old

Drumgooland' in the nearby townland of Deehommed, but that it was moved around 1778 by the Reverend

Richard Tighe, Rector of Drumgooland, to

Drumadonnell, presumably during a relocation of the

parish church of Drumgooland. There is an early ecclesiastical site at Deehommed which has an old

graveyard with a circular enclosure (Bigger 1908, 57).

Others, however, believe that Drumadonnell was always the site of the parish church of Drumgooland and that the

cross was at its original location. It has been suggested that there is evidence that Richard Tighe was resident at

Drumadonnell many years before the supposed move in

1778 (Fitzpatrick 1909). It is also mentioned that

knowledgeable locals believed that Drumadonnell was

the site of an ancient ecclesiastical site (ibid).

THE EXCAVATION (Figs. 2, 3) During topsoil stripping of the site a sub-circular pit (111), 0.95 - 0.98 m in diameter and 0.15 m deep, was identified. It was filled by several gritty orange loam and charcoal layers. The uppermost fill (132) was an orange brown coarse gritty loam circa 0.06 m thick. Beneath it was grey gritty loam (133) containing much charcoal

flecking and burnt bone. Also below (132) was the medium grey/brown, charcoal-rich, gritty loam (134). Beneath both (133) and (134) was a layer of dark grey, charcoal-rich, gritty loam (135). Beneath (135) was the

charcoal-flecked, orange brown, silty loam (136). In the

base of the cut for the hearth there was a very thin layer of loose grits (137) about 5 mm thick.

About 2.0 m to the east of the cut (111) there was an

elongated pit (104), 3.35 m long by 0.95 m wide and 0.15 m deep, which tapered into a slightly curving tail at the

east end. It had three fills. The uppermost fill ( 122) was

a mid to dark brown slightly sandy loam. Beneath it was

a dark grey/brown gritty loam ( 123) containing charcoal

flecks. The primary fill was a thin layer of charcoal

(124), never more than 2 cm thick, which covered the

base of the west end of the feature but which gradually thinned until it ran out in the centre of the feature. Below

the middle fill ( 123), but above the charcoal-rich primary fill (124) of the cut (111), there was a setting of stones

(142). These appeared to cover much of the base and

sides of the wide west end of the feature and formed a

linear setting, possibly capped, running a little way towards the tapering east end of the feature.

In the immediate vicinity of these two large cuts were

the truncated remains of eight small post-holes and a

number of small stake-holes. Post-hole (105) was located

to the south of the site. It was 0.26 m in diameter and 0,05

m deep and was filled by the dark grey/brown, slightly

gritty loam (127). To the east of (105) there was a post hole (144) which was about 0.30 m wide by 0.15 m deep

* formerly of Northern Archaeological Consultancy

Ltd, Belfast

47



and was filled with (145) a dark grey/brown loam.

Farther to the east was post-hole (107) which was 0.50

m in diameter and 0.07 m deep and was filled by (126) the grey/brown gritty loam. Post-hole (108) was about

3.0 m north west of (107) was 0.20 m in diameter and

0.04 m deep. Posthole ( 109) was 0.35 by 0.27 m and 0.08

m deep and was filled by ( 124) the mid grey, sandy loam.

To the south-west of the pit (104) was post-hole (140) which was 0.40 m in diameter and 0.14 m deep and was

filled by the mid brown gritty loam ( 141 ). Circa 4 m to

the west of post-hole (140) was post-hole (112), 0.40 by 0.30 m and 0.05 m deep which was filled by ( 128) a mid

to dark grey slightly gritty loam. Circa 1.2 m to the

north-east of post-hole (112) was post-hole (114) which

was 0.45 by 0.49 m and 0.09 m deep and was filled by the dark grey gritty loam ( 129). The post-hole (119) was

located 3.0 m to the north-west of the post-hole (114) and was 0.50 by 0.30 m and was 0.07 m deep. It was

filled with (130), a grey/ brown loam.

In the north-west of the site were four stake-holes

(115), (117), (118) and(132). The stake-hole (115) was

0.11 m in diameter and 0.04 m deep. The stake-hole

(117) was 0.13 by 0.10 m and 0.04 m deep. The small

stake-hole (118) was 0.08 m in diameter and 0.07 m

deep and the stake-hole (132) was 0.10 m in diameter

and 0.06 m deep. To the extreme south end of the site there was a large

pit or post-hole ( 102) which was 1.20 by 1.10 m and 0.34 m deep and was filled by the mid grey/ brown sandy loam (120).

A second pit ( 110) was located at the extreme north

east of the site. It was key hole shaped being c 1.20 m at

its widest south end, 0.60 m wide at its north end and 4.0 m long. At its deepest it was 0.44 m deep. It had two fills;

(138) a mid grey/brown sandy loam and (139) a dark

grey/brown, charcoal-rich, loam which was thickest at

the widest part of the feature and tailed off towards the narrower north end.

The upper fill of ( 110) was covered by the charcoal

rich loam layer (143). This was a narrow band of

charcoal-rich loam which ran down slope, south-west to

north-east, across the site. There was a gully (106) close to the south-east edge

of the site. It was 7.30 m long by 0.28 m wide at the widest and a maximum of 0.12 m deep. It was filled with

the grey/brown gritty loam (125).

THE FINDS (not illustrated)1 A number of sherds of pottery were recovered from the

excavation. Most of the sherds, which with one exception were found in the charcoal-filled pits (104) and (111), were typical of souterrain ware, which corresponds well with the radiocarbon dates obtained for the site (see below). However, two sherds do not seem typical of souterrain ware, having a finer and more even surface than the typically rough souterrain ware, well sorted inclusions and a slightly pimply texture. Also the uniform oxidization of the exterior surfaces of these pot sherds is not typical of the souterrain ware tradition which has

patchy, oxidized and reduced surfaces tending towards

reduction. While it is possible that these two sherds are

atypical examples of the souterrain ware tradition it may be that they are of a different pottery type. It seems

unlikely that they represent a different contemporary

potting tradition or that they are imports. It seems most

likely that the sherds are residual and date from an

earlier phase of occupation. The fabric and appearance

Fig 1 Site location.

48



?

Q108

?

114

118 .131

? 117

? 118

O 119

3m

Fig 2 Plan of excavated features.

49



125 126

107 T3 106

Fig 3 Sections.

J24

109

142 124

129

114

-^fp^ 106

128

112

114

50



of the sherds is not incompatible with their being Bronze

Age and, as is detailed in the flora report below, the

assemblage of grains etc from (139), the lower fill of pit (110), is suggestive of a Bronze Age date for this feature.

This may show that there had been some Bronze Age activity at the site. Unfortunately the single tiny sherd of

pottery recovered from (139) was so small and abraded that it was impossible to see if it was more typical of

Early Christian or Bronze Age pottery.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIAL Soil A total of 74.86 kg of soil samples was processed by John Davison of the School of Archaeology and

Palaeoecoiogy, Queen's University, Belfast. Charcoal, burnt bone, hazelnut shells, grains and a fruit stone were recovered.

Bone Remains

A considerable number of burnt bone fragments were

recovered from the two hearths (104) and (111). These were analysed by Eileen Muiphy, whose full report is

given below. She concludes that while most of the bone

fragments were too burnt and small to be positively identified, those that could be identified were all

fragments of ovicaprids andcattle. All the bone fragments had been subjected to temperatures between 285? C and 1200? C, most probably having been heated to between

285? C and 525? C.

The bone remains from Drumadonnell accord well with what is known of the Early Christian diet and the cattle-based economy. It compares with faunal remains from excavated Early Christian sites such as Shaneen

Park, Ballyaghagan, Co Antrim, where the vast majority of the identified bones were of cattle with just a small amount of pig (Proudfoot 1958).

Plant Remains

Charred plant remains recovered during processing of soil samples were examined by Dave Weir, whose full

report is given below. To summarize, he identifies remains for oats, barley and wheat as well as hazelnut shell and a sloe stone. This again accords well with what is known of the Early Christian diet. One sample (139), the basal fill of pit (110), contained seeds and grains

which were not typical of an Early Christian assemblage but were more typical of the Late Bronze Age.

Radiocarbon Dates Two radiocarbon dates were obtained for context (123), the fill of hearth (104), and for context (133), the fill of

hearth (111), from Beta Analytic, Miami, Florida. The dates were calibrated using the INTCAL98

Radiocarbon Age Calibration (Stuiver et al 1998)

DISCUSSION There was certainly domestic activity at the Drumadonnell site and it seems very1 likely that the structures uncovered during the excavation are the remains of a building which probably functioned as a house. No evidence for an ecclesiastical association was identified.

Context ( 104) was a domestic fireplace. The presence of some burnt bone and pottery in the charcoal-rich primary fill (124) is strongly suggestive of cooking. The stone setting (142) in this hearth was not an original feature of the fireplace but was sitting on, and in, the dark charcoal primary fill ( 124). This would suggest that these stones were set here after the hearth had been in use for some time. So little of the setting remained to be recorded that it is difficult to be certain about its function, but it is not unreasonable to speculate that it may have been part of an oven. This would explain the 'tail' going north from the hearth as the area in which the ashes were raked from the oven. The positioning of the hearth to one

side, the south-east, of the building is consistent with the

positioning of some hearths in previously excavated

Early Christian settlements. It has been suggested that this off-centre location was because of a deliberate intention to position the hearth close to the door, both to aid fuelling and to encourage draught and dispersal of smoke (Lynn 1982).

There was a sub-circular setting of cuts arranged around this hearth. They were truncated post-holes

which would have held supports for a structure. The diameter of this structure would have been 7.0 by 8.0 m. There was no floor material but, as the depth of the

postholes shows, there was considerable truncation. The posthole (102) is much larger and deeper than

the other post-holes. It was found to the south east of the structure and may have been deeper to support a doorway.

This posthole was very wide at the top and cut the

ground in such a way as to make one side of the cut

stepped. This shape of posthole is consistent with the

post having been removed after being rocked back and

forth. It has been suggested that door jambs from Early Christian houses may have been removed, at the end of the life of a building, for use in other buildings. If this

was a doorway it would have opened to the south. This was a common orientation for doors on Early Christian

houses which tended to avoid opening to the west, the

direction of the prevailing wind (Lynn 1994).

Sample Conventional C14 Date 1 Sigma Date Range 2 Sigma Date Range

(68% probability) (95% probability) _Calibrated _Calibrated_

(123) 790 +/- 60 ad_785 to 970 AD_705 to 1005 AD

(133) 750+/-60 ad 765 to 895 AD 680 to 980 AD

51



The house site is similar to a house excavated inside

an Early Christian ringfort at Ballyfounder, near

Portaferry, Co Down. This house was composed of a

hearth with surrounding post-holes, circa 7 m in diameter.

The postholes were between 0.15 and 0.30 m deep. The

post-holes were grouped together in twos and threes

which would imply that the structure had been rebuilt a

number of times (Waterman 1958). The hearth (104) has some similarities to a hearth

excavated in an Early Christian structure at the

ecclesiastical enclosure at Doras, Co Tyrone. This was

a hollow in the ground lined with stones. Like (104) there was a gully running from the centre of the hearth

towards the outside of the house. There was also a layer of charcoal-rich soil lining the bottom of the hollow

beneath the stones. The hearth was about 3 m in length and the house at Doras had a diameter of about 6.0 m

(McDowell 1987). There was a second hearth (111) at the site. This

hearth was very different from the hearth (104). It was

almost totally circular with dimensions of 0.98 m by 0.95 m and 0.17 m deep. It was filled with charcoal and

mixed ash and gritty loams. This hearth was not directly associated with the probable house but was situated in

what would have been the middle of the wall of the structure. This implies that it could not have been

contemporary with the house. Itmay have been associated with a structure of which no evidence remains, or it may have been a hearth outside a building. Evidence from some excavated Early Christian settlements suggests some hearths may have been free-standing (Warhurst 1971).

It is interesting to note that the two hearths ( 104) and (111 ) contained very different quantities of burnt bone.

Hearth (104) contained a total of 6.6 g of burnt bone from a total sample weight of 23.97 kg. This is a ratio of 1 g of bone per 3.63 kg of sample. Hearth (111), by

contrast, produced 320 g of burnt bone from a total

sample weight of 25.06 kg. This is a ratio of 1 g of bone

per 78.3 g of sample. If looked at more closely we can see that most of this bone, 311.4 g, came from one layer (133). Its ratio of bone to sample (minus the bone and

sample weight of the other layers in the hearth) is 311.4

g for a sample weight of 19.68 kg or 1 g of bone per 63

g of sample. The ratios for layers (134) and (135) respectively are 1 g of bone per 506 g of sample and 1 g of bone per 838 g of sample. The only identifiable bones came from hearth (111), with layer (133) containing some cattle bone fragments, layer (134) containing sheep/goat and layer (136) containing one fragment of cattle tooth enamel. It is difficult to be sure as to the

significance of the differentiation in the two hearths. It could be suggested that this is evidence of different functions for the two hearths, perhaps that one was for

cooking meat and the other for baking bread. However

it may also mean that the method of use of hearth (111) was more likely to lead to bits of bone ending up in the

fire.

There is some doubt over the function of ( 110). It was

keyhole-shaped and about 4.0 m long. It had a layer of

charcoal at its base. The subsoil into which the pit was

cut appeared to have been exposed to heat, suggesting either that combustion took place in the pit or that ashes

were deposited in it while they were still hot. In addition, the assemblage of flora from the basal layer (139) of this

feature would suggest that it was not contemporary with

the other excavated features on the site (see Appendix 2).

It is difficult to say if the curving gully ( 106) is indeed

archaeological. The fill of the gully did contain two

fragments of burnt hazelnut shell which was common in

the fills of hearths (104) and (111). However it also

contained one piece of modern pottery, although the

gully is so shallow that it could be intrusive, possibly

pushed down into the fill by the mechanical digger tracks. Drainage gullies are common on Early Christian

settlement sites and this may have been the function of

this gully.

CONCLUSIONS The site is a small but interesting Early Christian

settlement. One structure was uncovered which was

composed of the postholes and hearth (104). There may have been a second, not contemporary, structure

represented by the hearth (110) of which there is no

additional surviving evidence. Even if this was a hearth outside a building it was clearly associated with some sort of settlement in the vicinity, since the burnt bone

within it testifies to its domestic function. During the

monitoring of topsoil removal and the excavation no trace of a ditch enclosing the site was found. Consequently this must be considered an unenclosed settlement.

Analysis of the macrofloral (seed and grain) remains of sites of this period has only commonly been carried out in recent years. To date this is only the second Early

Christian site in Co Down to have this type of analysis carried out. It provides scientific verification of what

was stated in the early Irish legal document, Bretha Dein

Ch?cht, written 1300 years ago, which stated that oats were the least valuable cereal crop with wheat the most

valued, and barley in the middle (Kelly 1997). The unenclosed settlement at Drumadonnell would

presumably have been of middle to low status. The dominance of barley and wheat, combined with the

paucity of wheat from the site, would accord with the

crops the Bretha D?in Ch?cht and other legal documents

say a middle ranking settlement would have grown.

52



THE BURNT ANIMAL BONE

EILEEN M MURPHY School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology,

Queen's University, Belfast

METHODOLOGY Details of the remains retrieved from each context are

provided below, and the data includes the quantity, size

and degree of fragmentation of the bones. These findings enable one to assess the amount of information it was

possible to obtain from each context and also allows for

aspects of the cooking technology to be reconstructed.

The colour of the burnt bone is included so that the

efficiency of the combustion process can be ascertained.

The colour of cremated bone reflects the amount of

oxidization the organic components of the bone have

undergone and is partly dependant on temperature. When bones are subjected to increasing temperature

they change from black, through various stages of grey, to white (McKinley 1994,77). Experimental studies on

modern animal bone to determine variations in bone

colour caused by fire temperatures have been undertaken

by several researchers, including Mays (1998,217). The

results of his study have indicated that bone changes to

a white or pale yellow colour at temperatures of between

645?C and 1200?C, while black and grey discoloration

generally occurs at temperatures of between 285?C and

525?C.

Rib and vertebrae fragments which were

unidentifiable to species were classed as large or medium

in size. Large fragments are considered to have originated from cattle or horses, while medium-sized fragments

would have belonged to pigs or ovicaprids.

Context 122, Upper 50%

A total of 250 fragments of burnt bone were recovered

from this context, including two fragments of animal

crania. The majority of fragments were less than 15 mm

in size, and the largest piece measured 24.1 mm by 14.1 mm. All of the fragments were white with some grey

discoloration, and it is likely that they had been burned

at temperatures of between 285?C and 1200?C (Mays

1998, 217).

Context 122, Lower 50% A total of 25 fragments of unidentifiable burnt bone

were recovered from this context. Most of the fragments were less than 10 mm in size, and the largest piece measured 16 mm by 10 mm. The majority of fragments were white although some also displayed a grey

coloration, and it is probable that they had been burned

at temperatures of between 285?C and 1200?C (Mays

1998, 217).

Context 121

Five fragments of unidentifiable burnt bone were

retrieved from this context, all of which were less than

10 mm in size. The fragments ranged in colour from dark grey to white which may indicate that they had been burned at temperatures ranging from 285?C to 1200?C

(Mays 1998,217).

Context 123 A total of 31 fragments of unidentifiable burnt bone were recovered from this context. The majority of

fragments were less than 10 cm in size, but the largest piece measured 13 mm by 9.1 mm. Most of the fragments were white although some displayed tinges of grey, and it is probably that they had undergone combustion at

temperatures of 285?C to 1200?C (Mays 1998,217).

Context 133

A total of 1984 unidentifiable fragments of burnt bone were retrieved from this context. In addition, 12 crania, three rib, and two vertebrae (from a large animal)

fragments were recovered. A fragment of cattle mandible, five pieces of cattle tooth enamel, a cattle tarsal/carpal, a fragment of long bone shaft from a medium-sized animal and apiece of long bone shaft from a large animal

were also present in the corpus. The latter fragment represented the largest piece of bone in the assemblage,

measuring 54.2 mm by 15.4 mm, although the vast

majority of fragments were less than 20 mm in size. All

of the fragments were white with some grey discoloration, and it is probable that they had been burned at

temperatures ranging from 285?C to 1200?C (Mays 1998, 217).

Context 134

A total of 48 fragments of burnt bone were recovered

from this context. Three fragments were identifiable and

these consisted of an ovicaprid distal metapodia, an

ovicaprid long-bone shaft fragment and a piece of a

medium-sized vertebra. The metapodial fragment was

fused indicating that it had originated from an adult

animal. Most of the fragments were less than 10 mm in

size, although the largest fragment which comprised the

ovicaprid metapodia, measured 18.7 mm by 8.1 mm.

The majority of fragments were white although a number

also displayed a grey coloration and it is probable that

they had been burned at temperatures ranging from

285?C to 1200?C (Mays 1998,217).

Context 136

A total of 46 fragments of burnt bone were retrieved

fromtm^context/TTieonlyidentifiablefragmentincluded in the corpus comprised a fragment of enamel from a

cattle tooth. The majority of fragments had a size of less

than 10 mm, although the largest fragment measured 15

53



mm by 16 mm. Most of the fragments were white but

some displayed tinges of grey and it probable that they had undergone combustion at a temperature range of

285?C to 1200?C (Mays 1998, 217).

CONCLUSIONS A total of 2415 fragments of burnt bone were recovered

during the excavation at Drumadonnell. The bones were

in a highly fragmentary condition, with the majority of

fragments measuring less than 20 mm in size. This high

degree of fragmentation resulted in the vast majority of"

fragments (98%) being unidentifiable to either species or bone type. It was possible, however, to determine

from a number of bone fragments that cattle and

ovicaprids were represented. All of the pieces of bone

were white with tinges of grey discoloration, and it is

most probable that they had been combusted at

temperatures of between 285?C and 525?C (Mays 1998,

217).

THE SEED AND GRAIN REMAINS

DAVID A WEIR 4 Mount Michael Drive, Belfast BT8 6JZ

INTRODUCTION Charred plant material from sampled features was

extracted by flotation and sieving, conducted by John

Davison, who also sorted the charcoal residues and

extracted the charred seeds and grain. The extracted

material was passed to the author for identification.

METHODS Identifications were made at x7 - x30 magnification,

using a Leica Zoom 2000 microscope. Weed seeds were

identified with the aid of illustrations in seed atlases

(Beijerinck 1947; Schochetal 1988) and by comparison with reference material. There is no adequate identification aid for cereals, and identification was

aided by reference to modern and previously identified

material from archaeological sites. Conclusive

identification of the different cereal species or types within a group is dependent on the presence of well

preservedrachis and glume material (ie chaff). This was

not present in this sample, and has restricted the level of some identifications, especially of the oats (Avena sp).

RESULTS The results for individual features or contexts are

presented in Table 1, but will be dealt with here as

groups rather than individually. The results from (78) and ( 121 -

37) are generally similar, as they are dominated

by barley (Hordeum vulg?re) and also contain oats, the

percentages of identified grain from these contexts

being 61% and 36.5% respectively. Where the barley was well preserved it was identifiable as hulled, six-row

type, with a more angular outline, traces of adhering lemma and palea, and a ratio of 2:1 twisted to non

twisted grain. The oat species is not identifiable, as no

glume bases were found, and could be any of the main

species, though is probably either cultivated oat (Avena

sativa) or bristle-pointed oat (Avena strigosa). One

context, (121), contained four grains which are

comparable to wheat, but too poorly preserved to be

certain. The majority of contexts also contain some

hazel (Corylus avellana) nut fragments. A single sloe

(Prunus spinosa) stone was found in (134). Context (139) is significantly different, with the

identified grain being entirely barley and with no oats

present. It is the richest context overall, containing 49%

of the identified grain from the site, and the preservation is generally quite good. The majority of the well preserved

grain is of six-row, hulled type, but a total of 16 grains

appeared to belong to the 'naked' variety (Hordeum

vulg?re var nudum). In this variety the lemma and palea do not adhere to the grain, and are thus not preserved, the

grain itself being more rounded in outline and having a

distinct ridge in the ventral groove. In addition to the

grain this was the only context to yield any evidence for an arable weed flora, with Persicaria! Poly gonaceae seeds present, which are common weeds of nitrogen

rich, disturbed ground.

DISCUSSION The results from most of contexts are typical of the

majority of Early Christian sites of this period, with

barley as the dominant cereal, and a significant component of oats (Monk 1986; 1991). Both cereals are

tolerant of a wide range of soils and would have grown well in this area, though it is difficult to equate the amount of cereal grains recovered from a site with the

possible extent of arable agriculture in the surrounding area. The cumulative evidence does, however, suggest a major expansion of arable agriculture throughout Ireland in the Early Christian Period (Monk 1991), As

well as evidence from charred grain assemblages, this includes increased cereal and arable weed representation in pollen diagrams (Singh & Smith 1973; Hall 1990;

Weir 1995) from areas of good agricultural land. In

54



Species (?6) (121) (104) (123) (125) Middle

fill

(122)

cf Hordeum vulg?re (barley)

Hordeum vulg?re (barley)

cf Hordeum vulg?re var nudum

(cf six-row naked barley)

Hordeum vulg?re

(six-row, hulled barley) 3

cf Triticum (wheat)

cf Avena sp (oats) 1

Avena sp (oats) 1

cf Avena/Secale (oats/rye)

Cereal (indeterminate)

Cereal fragment 15

Poaceae (indeterminate)

(cereal/wild grasses) 1

Coryius avellana

(hazelnut shell fragment)

Prunus spinosa (blackthorn)

Persicaria cf MaculosaAapathifolia (redshank/pale persicaria)

Polygonaceae -

cf Ranunculus (cf buttercup)

1

33

29

15

18

10

(133) Areal Areal Areal (136) ?37? C139i Total (133) (133) (134)

Level Level Level 1 1 1

4 14

2 5 1

2

1 1

1 1

65

75

I

3

124

116

5

20

38

1

2

25

1

4

3

1

Table 1

addition, dendrochronology has identified a major phase of horizontal mill construction between AD 777 and 850

(Baillie 1995). There is only one other published analysis of charred

grain material from Co Down, most excavators not

having taken samples for analysis, and the only evidence

for arable agriculture is usually finds of quern stones. At

Lough Faughan crannog Morrison (in Collins 1955,75

6) found a 'considerable quantity' of obviously well

preserved material, the majority of which were oats with a smaller component of barley, some of which - from the

photographs - is clearly hulled six-row barley. This is a

less usual situation, with only four out of 23 sites

throughout Ireland having oats as the dominant cereal

(Monk 1991). Still fewer had wheat as the dominant

cereal, such as was recently found in Early Christian

contexts in Armagh (Weir 2000). To some extentresults

reflect a combination of the status of the site and the

quality of surrounding soils. Wheat is associated with

high status, and also requires the best soils. Oats are of

the lowest status, and are relatively undemanding of

soils, with barley of somewhat higher status andneeding

better soils. A site of medium to low status on average to good soils could thus be expected to have a cereal

assemblage dominated by oats and barley. The presence of hazelnut fragments in most contexts

is interesting, demonstrating the value of these as a food source. In the Old Irish tree-list hazel is described as one

of the 'nobles of the wood' (Kelly 1997), for its value

both as a foodstuff and providing rods for building or

fencing. It is almost certain that areas of hazel coppice in the surrounding area would have been managed to

provide both nuts and rods. The single, charred stone of

blackthorn from (134) is also interesting, as the fruit

(sloe) is generally considered too bitter today to eat, but

was obviously eaten in the past (Kelly 1997, 306-7).

Indeed, considerable quantities of sloe stones were

recovered from 12th-to 13th-century contexts in Dublin,

which indicated that they were being eaten or processed for juice extraction and probable fermentation (Mitchell

1987). Context ( 139) has the highest incidence of grain from

the site, producing about 50% of the total identified. It

is obviously different from the other contexts, the most

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obvious difference being the absence of oats. The

identified grain is all barley, mostly six-row, hulled

barley, but there are also a significant number of grains that appear to be naked barley. The latter is generally considered to be a more primitive type, commonly found on prehistoric sites. By the Late Bronze Age, hulled six-row barley was beginning to occur, as at

Killymoon, Co Tyrone, where it seems to predominate (Weir in progress). It has, however, also been found on

at one least Early Christian site (Monk 1986), but the

presence of naked wheat and absence of oats would tend

to suggest a prehistoric date for this context, probably Late Bronze Age. The available evidence would suggest that this was also a period of considerable arable activity in Ireland (Weir 1993; 1995). This includes increases in

cereal pollen in pollen diagrams, such as Loughnashade, Co Armagh, and major assemblages of charred grain from sites such as Killymoon and Haughey's Fort, Co

Armagh. The grain assemblages from both of these sites

also consist entirely of barley. The pit from which ( 139) comes is some distance from the other contexts, and it

wTould be no surprise if an assemblage of this size did

turn out to be Late Bronze Age. It could, however, also

be due to a different processing activity occurring in this

area, or represent separate storage of the barley crop, but

this seems less likely.

CONCLUSIONS The assemblage from Drumadonnell is particularly useful as there is little other evidence from Co Down for charred cereals. The material from Early Christian contexts fits well with that available from the rest of

Ireland. A single, rich context containing only barley may be of Late Bronze Age date.

NOTE 1 At the time of writing the finds are held by Northern Ar

chaeological Consultancy Ltd.

REFERENCES Baillie, M G L 1995 A Slice Through Time. London.

Beijerinck, W 1947 Zadenatlas der Nederlandische Flora.

Wageningen. Bigger, F J 1908 'The ancient cross of Drumgolan in the Co.

Down', UJA (2nd ser) 14 (1908), 56-8.

Collins, A E P 1955 'Excavations in Lough Faughan crannog, Co. Down, 1951-52', UJA 18 (1955), 45-82.

Fitzpatrick, T 1909 'The ancient cross of Drumgoolan, Co.

Down', UJA (2nd ser) 15 (1909), 45-7.

Hall, V A 1990 'Recent landscape history from a Co. Down lake deposit', New Phytologist 115 (1990) 377-83.

Kelly, F 1997 Early Irish Farming. Dublin.

Lynn, C J 1982 'The excavation of Rathmullan, a raised rath and motte in Countv Down', UJA 44 & 45 (1981-82), 65 171.

Lynn, C J 1994 'Houses in rural Ireland AD 500-1000', UJA

57(1994), 81-94.

Mays, S 1998 The Archaeology of Human Bones. London.

McKinley, JI 1994 The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Spong Hill, North Elmham. Part VIII: The Cremations (East Anglian Archaeology Reports 69). Norwich.

Mitchell, G F 1987 Archaeology & Environment in Early Dublin (Medieval Dublin Excavations 1962-81, ser C, vol

1). Dublin.

Monk, M A 1986 'Evidence from macroscopic plant remains for crop husbandry in prehistoric and early Ireland', / Irish

Archaeol 3 (1985-86), 31-6. Monk, M A1991 'The archaeobotanical evidence for field crop

plants in Early Historic Ireland', in Renfrew, J (ed), New

Light on Early Farming: Recent Developments in

Palaeoethnobotany, 315-28. Edinburgh. Proudfoot, V B 1958 'Further excavations at Shaneen Park,

Belfast, Ballyaghagan townland, Co. Antrim', UJA 21

(1958), 18-38. Schoch, W H, Pawlik, B & Schweingruber, F H1988 Botanical

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Singh, G & Smith, A G 1973 'Post-glacial vegetational history and relative land- and sea-level changes in Lecale, Co.

Down', /7H? 73B (1973), 1-51.

Stuiver, M, Reimer, P J, Bard, E, Beck, J W, Burr, G S, Hughen, K A, Kromer, B, McCormac, G, van derPlicht, J, & Spurk, M 1998 '?NTCAL98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24000-0 cal BF, Radiocarbon 40 (3) (1998), 1041-83.

Waterman, D W 1958 'Excavations at Ballyfounder rath, Co. Down', UJA 21 (1958), 39-61.

Warhurst, C 1971 'Excavations of a rath at Shanes Castle, Co. Antrim', UJA 34 (1971), 58-64.

Weir, D A1993 An Environmental History of the Navan Area, Co. Armagh. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Queen's University, Belfast

Weir, D A 1995 'A palynological study of landscape and agricultural development in County Louth from the second

millennium BC to the first millennium AD', Discovery Programme Reports: 2 Project Results 1993, 77-126. Dublin.

Weir, D A 1998 Armagh Town 1998: Charred grain. Report to Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, Belfast.

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The Excavation of an Unenclosed House of the Early Christian Period at Drumadonnell,County Down,...

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