brusk early modern brick kilns

8/14/2019 Brusk early modernbrickkilns

1/32

Date:May2007

Client:GalwayCountyCouncilProjectcode:NGB05

N6GalwaytoBallinasloeScheme,Contract2.Final Report on archaeological investigations at Site E2063,modernbrickkilnsatBrusk,Co. Galway

By:BrendonWilkins&AmyBuncewithacontributionbyAuliTourenen

MinisterialDirectionno.:A024/24

Excavationno.:E2063

Director:Brendon

Wilkins

Chainage:2090021150

NGR:154875/224784


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Headland Archaeology Ltd. N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Contract 2. E2063 Final Report

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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1

CONTENTS PAGE

1 Summary 3

2 Introduction 3

3 Sitedescriptionandlocation 4

4 Aimsandmethodology 4

5 Results 4

Kiln1 5

Kiln2 7

Kiln3 7

6 Discussion 8

7 Archive 10

8 References 10

ListofFiguresFigure1 E2063Locationofexcavationarea

Figure2 E2063LocationofexcavationareaandRMPextract

Figure3

E2063Topographic

Survey

Figure4 PlanofKiln1&3

Figure5 PlanofKiln2

Figure6 EastfacingsectionsofKiln1

Figure7 South andeastfacingsectionsofKiln3

ListofPlatesPlate1 PreexcavationofKiln1,northfacing

Plate2 NorthfacingelevationofbricksinKiln1

Plate3

Bricksin

south

east

corner

of

Kiln

1,

north

west

facing

Plate4 PostexcavationofsouthendofKiln1,southwestfacing

Plate5 SoutheastfacingsectionofnortheastcornerofKiln1

Plate6 PostexcavationofKiln1,northfacing

Plate7 MidexcavationofKiln2,northfacing

Plate8 MidexcavationofnorthendofKiln2,northwestfacing

Plate9 PostexcavationofsouthendofKiln2,northwestfacing

Plate10 BricksatnorthwestendofKiln2,southwestfacing

Plate11 PostexcavationofeastsideofKiln3,southeastfacing

Plate12 PostexcavationofwestsideofKiln3,southeastfacing

Appendices


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2

Appendix1 Contextregister

Appendix2 Findsregister

Appendix3 Sampleregister

Appendix4 Photographregister

Appendix5

Drawingregister

Appendix6 Sitematrix

Appendix7 Faunalremainsreport


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3

1 SummaryThisreportpresentstheresultsofarchaeologicalinvestigationscarriedoutonbehalfof

GalwayCountyCouncilpriortothecommencementofconstructionontheN6Galwayto

BallinasloeScheme.

The

work

was

undertaken

under

Ministerial

Direction

number

A024/24,

registrationnumberE2063,inthetownlandofBrusk,Co.Galway.TheMinisterforthe

Environment,Heritage&LocalGovernment,followingconsultationwiththeNational

MuseumofIreland,directedthatBrendonWilkinsofHeadlandArchaeologyLtdshouldproceedwithPhaseIIExcavation.

Contract2preconstructiontestingonthissitein2005wasalertedtothepossiblehigh

archaeologicalpotentialofthelocationbyanarchaeologicalgeophysicalsurveycarriedout

(ArchaeoPhysica2004).Testingwasabletoconfirmthepresenceofthreebrickkilns,a

potentialwellandanareaofinsituburning.

Fullarchaeological

excavation

was

conducted

on

this

site

during

May

2006.

The

three

brick

kilnswereexposed,excavatedandidentifiedasclampkilns,singleusestructuresoften

constructedclosetoboththerawmaterialandthebuildingforwhichtheywereintended.

Theclampkilnsmayreflectrelativelysmallscaleuseofthesite.Itissuggestedthatthekilns

werenotfiredonthesameoccasionowingtoadevelopmentintheconstructiontechniques

observablebetweenthethreekilns.Otherpotentialfeatures,includingthepossiblewelland

theinsituburningwereinvestigatedandfoundtobeanaturalfeatureandtheresultofrecent

fieldclearanceactivityrespectively.

2 IntroductionWorksarebeingcarriedoutalongtherouteoftheproposedN6GalwaytoEastofBallinasloe

nationalroadscheme,betweenthetownlandsofDoughiskainCountyGalwayandBeaghin

CountyRoscommon. Theproposedroadwillconsistofapproximately56kmofdual

carriageway,a7kmlinkroadfromCarrowkeeltoLoughreaandapproximately23kmofside

roads.Therewillbefourgradeseparatedjunctions,36bridgesandatollplazalocatedat

Cappataggle.

Theareaofproposedarchaeologicalinvestigationwasdividedintofourcontracts,basedon

foursectorsofapproximatelyequalextent.Theworkdescribedherewasundertakenunder

ArchaeologicalInvestigations

Contract

2.

This

covered

astretch

of

road

development

of

approximately13.2kmofdualcarriagewayand7kmofsinglecarriageway,andpassedtothe

southofAthenryandKiltullaghinagenerallyeast/westdirection.Theprojectwasfundedby

theIrishGovernmentandtheEuropeanUnionundertheNationalDevelopmentPlan2000

2006.HeadlandArchaeologyLtdwascommissionedbyGalwayCountyCounciltoundertake

theworks.ArchConsultancyundertookanarchaeologicalsurveyaspartofan

EnvironmentalImpactSurveyoftheroutecompiledbyRPSMCOSEngineeringin2005.The

kilnswerenotidentifiedbyArchConsultancyalthoughtherewereupstandingremainstobe

seen.Anaerialsurveywasalsoundertaken,aswasageophysicalsurvey(Archaeophysica

2004).ArchaeologicaltestexcavationswerecarriedoutbyM.Jones(03E1874,GalwayCountyCouncil,NationalRoadsDesignOffice).OnthebasisoffindingsfromthisworkContract2

Investigationscommenced

in

September

2005.


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4

3 SitedescriptionandlocationThesitewaswithinthetownlandofBrusk,approximately4.5kmsoutheastofAthenry.It

waslocatedatNGR154875/224784andbetweenchainage2090021150.Itwassituatedin

relativelyflat,

low

lying

pasture

land

bordered

on

all

four

sides

by

limestone

drystone

walls

andboundedtothesouthbythemainAthenrytoKiltullaghroad.Thesitewaspoorly

drainedandadjacenttoanactivewatercoursepronetoflooding.Theunmodifiednatural

subsoilwasaglaciallyderivedtillcomposedoffineclaywithgravelinclusions,whichwould

haveprovidedanexcellentrawmaterialforindustrialbrickmanufacture.

4 AimsandmethodologyTheobjectiveoftheworkwasthepreservationbyrecordofanyarchaeologicalfeaturesor

depositsinadvanceoftheproposedroadconstruction.

Fourexcavationareaswereopenedunderdirectarchaeologicalsupervision,andthepresence

ofthreekilnsconfirmed.Theareaswerestrippedbymachineatwhichpointthekilnswere

clearlyidentifiedasredsquarefeaturesborderedbyburntsoilandsurroundedbyabankof

redepositednaturalmaterial.Thekilnswerenumbered1,2&3inorderofexcavation.All

threekilnswerenumberedwiththesamecontextnumbers,astheircompositionwas

extremelysimilar.Theonlydifferencebetweenthekilnswasinthelayoutofthebricksand

benches.

Theresultingsurfacewascleanedandallpotentialfeaturesinvestigatedbyhand.

Archaeologicalcontextswererecordedbyphotographandonstandardisedrecordingsheets.

Plansand

sections

were

drawn

at

an

appropriate

scale.

Ordnance

Datum

levels

and

feature

locationswererecordedusingpenmapandanEDM.Environmentalsamplesweretakenon

anydepositssuitableforanalysisordating.Contexts,finds,samples,drawingsandphoto

registersfromthesiteareprovidedintheAppendices.

5 ResultsThekilnswerecharacterisedassinglefiredclamperkilns.Thesekilnsuseunfiredbricksto

formtheirstructure,andarethendismantledfollowingfiring.Kiln3wasslightlydifferentin

constructionfromkilns1&2andwaspossiblythefirstkilnonsite.Noareasofpossiblebrick

working,brick

storage

and

drying

or

on

site

accommodation

for

workers

or

kiln

minders

werediscovered.Therewerenoareasofclayquarryingwithinthelimitsoftheexcavation

butalarge,irregular,elongateddepressionwasidentifiedintheunderlyingtopographyto

the 25mtothewestofthesitewhichwaslikelytohavebeentheremnantsofabackfilled

claypit.

Thetopsoildeposit(1000)coveredtheentiresiteandwasalighttomidbrownsiltyclaywith

afewstoneinclusionsandaloosecompaction.Itwas0.20mindepth,andlaydirectlyabove

unmodifiednaturalsubsoil(1003),whichconsistedofalightbrownsiltyclaywithoccasional

limestoneinclusionsandafairlysolidcompaction.

Apotential

well

(1002)

was

identified

in

testing.

It

was

approximately

2.3m

in

diameter

and

comprisedacircularconcavedepressionof0.27mdepth.Ithadasingularfill(1001)ofmid


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5

orangebrownfinesiltyclaywithoccasionalpebblesandasoftcompaction.Itwasinterpreted

asapond.Itwastooshallowtohavefunctionedasawellandwasprobablyagricultural,not

associatedwiththekilns.Theareaofinsituburningwasexposedandcleanedbyhand.There

werenonegativecutfeaturesassociatedwiththecharcoalandnofindswererecovered.The

depositwasshallowandpoorlysorted;itwasjudgedtohavebeenofrecentoriginlikelyto

havebeen

the

result

of

modern

agricultural

activity.

Kiln1Kiln1measured11mnorth/southand6.5meast/west.Thetracesof12rowsofbricksrunning

east/westcouldbeidentifiedinplan.Rowsofbricksaretermedbenchesandspecific

arrangementscanbediagnosticofkilntypology.Thetenbencheswithinthecentreofkiln1

wereofdoublebrickthickness.Inthecentralbenchesthebrickswerearrangedsoaheader

(widthfacingside)ofeachbrickwasexposedtothefireinthespacesbetweenthebenches.

Thetwoedgebenchesateitherendofthekilnwereonlysinglebrickthickness.Thebricksat

theendbencheswerelaidwithbothheadersonthefacesofthebench.

Thebricksthatoccasionallyremainedattheunfiredbottomofthebencheswerelaidonedge

(narrowfacedown).Insteadofbeinglaidalternately,withtheheaderandstretcherinthe

coursesofthebenches,thecoursesatBruskwerelaidjustslightlyskewedfromtheprevious

course.ThisdifferedfromthepatternrecognisedatarecentlyexcavatedNewrath,Co.

Kilkenny(Wilkins2006;Hammond1977).Thelowercoursesofpoorlyfiredbrickswere

ridgedbythecourseofbrickslaiddiagonallyontopofthem,indicatingwhythesewereleft

insitu.Thebottombrickswouldhavestillbeenfairlywetoncelaidandtheweightofthe

uppercoursesdamagedthembeyonduse.

Theendsofthebenchesfrequentlyhadbrickslaidonedge(narrowfacedown)andafewlaid

onbed

(wide

face

down),

preserved

in

the

patterns

they

were

stacked

in

for

firing.

It

is

assumedthatthesebrickswereconsiderednotwellenoughfiredtobefunctional,probably

duetobeinglocatedattheedgeofthekiln.Theywereleftinplace,occasionallytoadepthof

threecourses.Thepatternsattheendsofthebenchesincludedbrickslaidwiththeirstretcher

faceonthebenchesface,andthispatterndifferedoneachcourse.Thepatternofbricklaying

attheedgesofthekilnwasintendedtostabilisetheendsofthebenches.Thebrickssuffering

fromacombinationofbeingattheendofthebenches,attheextremityofthekilnandinthe

bottomcoursesofthebenchesweresopoorlyfiredthattheyhadfusedtogether.

Therewasevidenceofadifferentstyleofbricksbeingplacedinthecentreofthekiln,

possiblybecausetheyrequiredahigherfiringtemperaturefortheirultimateendpurpose.

Thesebricks

were

alight

yellow

colour

and

different

to

the

mid

orange

red

colour

of

other

bricksfiredinthekiln.Thedifferentiationwasaconsequenceofthehotterfiring

temperaturesfoundinthecentreofthekilninadditiontoreducedoxygenlevels,creatinga

harder,butmorebrittleendproduct.Yellowbrickswerefoundinthemiddleofthecentral

benchesinKiln1.Thebenchesofyellowbricksweretheonlycentralbenchestobeleft

behind,beingtoopoorlyfiredtowarrantretrieval.Therewasoneredbrickamongstthem,

whichwasprobablyaccidentallyincorporatedasallunfiredclaylookingverysimilar.This

brickwasverywellfiredwhereastheyellowbrickswereoccasionallysoftinthemiddleof

thebenches.Theendsoftheyellowbencheswereconstructedofredbricks,furtherevidence

thattheyellowbrickswerehardertofireandwerenotwastedattheedgeswherethered

brickshadlessopportunitytofire.Thebottomcourseofyellowbrickswasveryheavily

ridgedby

the

upper

courses,

suggesting

that

the

yellow

bricks

may

have

been

softer

when

unfiredthantheirredcounterparts.


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6

Thepileofbrickrubble(1004)coveringtheremainsofthebencheswascomposedofbroken

bricksorpoorlyfiredbricksthatwereprobablydiscardedasbeingunsuitablewhilethekiln

wasbeingdismantled.Thisrubblewasgenerallyaredcolourbutalsohadelementsof

yellow,lightorangeanddarkredduetothebrokenbricksandbrickdustwithin.Ithada

moderateto

very

loose

compaction

due

to

its

composition

of

pieces

of

brick

up

to

about

half

abrickinsize(butonaveragequarterofabrickinsize),withareasofmorecompactedbrick

dustandoccasionalsilts. Thisrubblewas0.1mto0.15mthickandcoveredtheentireextent

ofkiln1.Theinterfaceswereveryclearandthebrickrubble[1004]wasalsotobefound

betweentheremnantsofthebottomtwocoursesofthebenchesaswellasontopofthem.

Someofthediscardedbricksindumplayer(1011)werenotdroppedwheretheywere

discoveredtobefaultybutweredeliberatelyflungawayfromthekilnandbecame

incorporatedintothebankednatural(1008)probablyasaresultoftrampling.

Alayerofgrittyyellowsand(005)wasrecordedbeneaththebenchesandacrossmostofthe

baseof

the

kiln.

It

was

shallow,

measuring

only

0.02m,

but

was

high

quality

coarse

sand

and

wasunlikelytohavebeenresourcedfromtheadjacentstream.Inplacesithadbecome

disturbedandmixedwiththerubble(1004)andwashardtodiscerninallsections.Itwas

compactedbuteasilyloosenedandhadnoinclusionswithinit.Inotherplacesitwasnot

presentbetweenthebenches;thiswaslikelytobearesultofheavyrakingoutofashesthat

wouldhavebeenrequiredbeforetheretrievalofthefinishedbricks.Thisdepositshedslight

ontheconstructiontechniquesofthebrickclampkilnsatBrusk.Itwasoriginallypresent

acrossthewholeofthebaseofthekiln.Itwouldalsohaveprotectedthequalityofthebottom

courseofbricksinthebenchesbycreatingabarrierbetweenthemandthepotentiallydamp

soilbelow,aswellaspreventingtheadherenceofsoilandsilts.Theuseofsandatthebaseof

thekilnsuggeststhatthebuilderswerehopefulallthebrickswouldfirewellandwerenot

resignedto

the

failure

of

the

lower

courses.

Adiscolouredsoillayer(1006)belowandaroundthekilnwasalsorecorded.Itwascausedby

directheatappliedtotheunmodifiednaturalsubsoil(1003).Itwasablacksiltyclayofloose

compaction.Afewrootshadpenetratedthelayer.Therewerealsoafewburntrootsof

charcoal,presentwithinthesoilatthetimeoffiring.Thissoillayer(1006)wasamaximumof

0.06mthickbutthethicknessofallreducedsoilswasupto0.15mthick.Layer(1010)wasa

midbrownorpurplecolouredsiltyclayofloosecompaction,0.1mdeepwithevidenceofin

situburningandwasdirectlybelowthesoillayerbelowandaroundthekiln(1006).Insome

placesthedifferentiationbetweenthesoillayersurroundingthekiln(1006)andthesoillayer

directlybeneathit(1010)wasunclearanddiffuse.Thesoillayersurroundingthekiln(1006)

wasvery

disturbed

in

places

probably

as

aresult

of

trampling

and

disturbance

during

deconstructionofthekilnsthatwouldhaveincludedrakingoutoftheashes.

Thispartialrakingoutofthelayeraroundthekiln(1006)insomeplaceswasobservedwhen

therubble(1004)betweenthebenchesextendeddeeperthanthebottomcourseofthe

benches.Alens(1007)withintherubble(1004]wasdiscoveredtowardsthenorthofkiln1.

Thelenswas0.02mthickand0.35minlength.Itwasalightyellowtowhitegrittysandof

firmcompaction.Itispossiblethatthiswasincorporatedintotherubble(1004)asthekiln

wasdismantled.Thishadanashycolourandtexture.Itmayhaveappearedasalensinkiln1

asaresultofdisturbance.Ashwouldhaveaccumulatedbetweenthebenchesandwould

haveneededtoberakedoutofthefiredkilnbeforethebrickswereremoved,apotentialside

productutilised

as

asoil

improver.


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7

Topsoilandsubsoilwouldhavebeenbankedaroundthekilnsastheyfired.Layer(1008)was

redepositednatural,abrownsiltyclaythatappearedidenticaltotheunmodifiednatural

layer(1003),exceptthatitincludedbrokenbricks.Thehorizonbetweentheredeposited

natural(1008)andtheunmodifiednaturallayer(1003)wasnoteasilydeterminedalthoughon

Kiln3alayerofpossiblyburntsod(1012)couldhaveformedtheinterfacebetweenthe

redepositednatural

(1008)

and

the

natural

layer

(1003).

Where

the

redeposited

natural

layer

(1008)wasbankedagainstthesidesofthekilnitlensedintothelayerofsoilsurroundingthe

kiln(1006). Theredepositednatural(1008)wouldhavebeenremovedasthekilnwas

dismantledanddiscardedbricks(1011)ofabouthalfabrickinsizebecameincorporatedwith

theredepositednatural[1008],mostlyinisolateddumpsapproximately2mfromtheedgeof

thekiln.Aseriesofpossiblestokeholesattheendsofthespacesbetweenthebencheswere

identifiedbelowtheredepositedlayerofnatural(1008),withanareaofdisturbedmaterial

(1009)withintheredepositednaturalbank(1008).Itwasamixoftherubble(1004;1011)and

reducedsoil(1006).Thebankofsoilconstructedaroundthekilnmayhavebeentocontrolair

flow,insulatethekilnandregulatetheinternaltemperature.Itwaspossiblyalsotohelpin

thestackingofthebricksinthehighercoursesofthebenches,especiallythebenchesatthe

edgesthat

were

only

single

brick

thickness

(on

Kilns

1&

2)

and

may

have

needed

extra

support.

Kiln2Kiln2measuredapproximately11mSW/NEtoNW/SEand6.50mNW/SE,andthebenches

weremostlyrecordedassurfaceburnmarksonthegroundwithonlyafewbricksremaining

attheendsofthebenches.Thesebenchesextendednorth/westtosouth/eastand,likeKiln1

thereweretenbenchesofdoublebrickthicknessandtwobenchesofsinglebrickthicknessat

thesidesofthekiln.SimilartoKiln1,thespacesbetweenthebencheswereapproximately

0.5mand

the

bricks

themselves

measured

0.24m

by

0.1m

and

0.05m

0.07m

in

depth.

FewerbricksremainedinsituinKiln2andlessrubble(1004)wasrecorded,possiblyduetoa

moresuccessfulfiringthanKiln1.Stokeholesattheendsofthespacesbetweenthebenches

wereobservedonKiln2,probablyrelatedtotherakingoutofthekilnsorthefuellingofthe

firing.Partialcolourdifferencesintheremainingmarksofbrickbenchesonthesurfaceof

Kiln2mayhavebeenduetothealmostcompleteremovalofthebricks,disturbanceand

trampling.

Kiln3Kiln3measured10.20mSW/NEand6.15mNW/SE.ThebenchesranNW/SE.Itdifferedinits

constructionfromKilns1and2bythefactthattherewere11benchesofdoublethicknessand

thespacesbetweentheendsofthebenchesincorporatedsomeformofbrickblockingofthe

stokeholes.TherudimentarynatureofKiln3waspossiblybecausethiswasthefirstkiln

firedonthissite.Asthedoublethicknessofbenchesontheedgesofthekilnhadnotfired

well,thisconstructionfaultwaspossiblyremediedinthelaterkilnconstructionofKiln1and

2.Theblockingoffofthestokeholeswasnotobservedontheotherkilnseither,anditmay

havebeenanunsuccessfulorunnecessaryattempttocontrolthefiring.Kiln3hadbeenbadly

damagedby

tree

roots

in

the

north

and

as

aresult

only

the

edges

of

the

kiln

were

excavated;

thisrevealedthatinfacttherestofthekilnwouldhavesurvivedfairlywell.


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8

Depositlayer(1012)wasablackredsiltyclayofloosecompactionwithorganicinclusions

andadepthof0.05m.Itwasdirectlyabovethenaturalsubsoilandwasamixed,burnt

depositresultingfromthefiringofthekilnanditsfuelsource.

6 DiscussionThemanufactureanduseofbrickinIrelandappearstohavemainlybeenabsentbeforethe

earlymodernperiod.Thereisnoarchaeologicalevidencefortheuseofthisbuildingmaterial

priortothe16thcentury,whenitwasusedinbuildingssuchastheOrmondmanorhouseat

CarrickonSuir,Co.TipperaryandBunrattyCastle,Co.Clare(Rynne2006,166).Overthe

followingcenturiesbrickproductionandusegrewfromasmall,limited,andexclusive

industrytoawidelyemployedbuildingmaterialwithlargescaleproduction.This

developmentwasgreatlyaidedbytheindustrialrevolutionofthe18thand19thcenturies

whichresultedinbrickproductionbecomingmechanised,thusincreasingthequalityand

outputof

the

product.

MostpreindustrialbrickkilnsinIrelandtooktheformofbrickclamps.Thesewere

temporaryrectangularstructureswhichwereconstructedfromunfiredbricks.Theywere

locatednearasourceofsuitableclaywhichwasoftenfoundnearrivers.Thisalsofacilitated

thetransportofthefinishedproduct.Afterextractingtheclayitwasprocessedbyremoving

allstonesandworkedtoasuitableconsistencybyaddingwaterandtramplingunderfoot

(Rynne2006,167).Brickswerethenformedtosetsizes;thesesizesdifferedslightly

dependinguponlocality.Oncethebrickshadbeenallowedtodrythebrickclampswere

constructed.Thiswasdonebystackingunfiredbricksinrows(knownasbenches)with

alternateheaderandstretcherlayersbuiltup.Inmanycasestheclampswereupto5mhigh

(Hull2005,

31).

The

gaps

between

the

bottom

rows

of

bricks

were

filled

with

fuel,

including

peatandwood,andignited.Theclampswereoftencoveredwithpeatandallowedtoburn

foranumberofdaysorweeksresultinginthefinishedproduct(Hull2005,31).

OnsmallbrickclampssuchasthosefoundatBrusk,theproductionofthebrickswasa

singular,smallscaleactivity,undertakenforthebenefitofthelocalcommunity(Rynne2006,

166).WiththeIndustrialRevolutioncamenewmechanisedmethodsofproducingbricks

whichallowedtheindustrytoincreaseinsizeandproductionoutput.Bythe1880smachine

madebrickswerethenorminIreland(Rynne2006,169).Brickswhichweremachinemade

tendedtobeofbetterqualityandofastandardsizeincomparisonwiththoseproducedby

hand,frombrickclamps.Thismechanisationledtotheconstructionoflargebrickkilns,of

whichthere

were

two

basic

types

the

intermittent

kiln

and

the

continuous

kiln.

An

example

ofanintermittentkilncanbefoundatCoalisland,Co.Tyrone.Inthecontinuouskilnsthe

dryingandfiringofthebricksbecameanuninterruptedprocess.Anexampleofthiskindof

kilncanbefoundatYoughal,Co.Cork(Rynne2006,170),andonewasalsoexcavatedby

HeadlandArchaeologyLtd.inNewrath,Co.Kilkenny(Wilkins2006).Theuseofsand,the

placementofthemoredesirableandhardertofirebrickswithinthecentreofakilnandoften

towardsthetopofthekiln,andthedifferingmethodsofsettingforeachsuccessivecourse

hasbeenrecognisedinotherkilns(Hammond1977,180).

Bruskwouldhavebeenatemporarysiteusedforthreeseparate,sequentialkilnfirings.

EvidenceforthisisbasedontheassumptionthatthedesignofKilns1and2wereadapted

followingthe

firing

of

Kiln

3,

and

that

their

close

positioning

would

make

simultaneous

use

unlikely.Thebrickswereofthesamesizeineachkilnanditcouldbesuggestedthatthekilns


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9

weredirectlysupplyingtheconstructionofanearbybuilding.Nobuildingcouldbe

identifiedintheimmediatevicinityusingbuildingmatchingthedimensionsofthekiln

product,butbricksofasimilarcompositionwereusedinthebuildingsconstructedtoservice

theLoughreatoAthlonebranchrailwayline(Geddes2006).Theyellowbricksproducedat

Bruskmayhavebeenintendedfordecorativearchitecturalfeaturessuchaswindowarches,

butthe

higher

temperature

these

bricks

were

fired

at

would

also

have

made

them

suitable

for

fireplacesurroundswheredirectcontactwithheatwaslikely.Thekilnswereestimatedto

havebeenabletofire20,000bricksatonce,requiring24mofclay.

Noarchaeologicalfindswererecoveredfromthesite,andthesingularfaunalelementfrom

BruskwasanalysedbyAuliTourunenofHeadlandArchaeologyLtd.andwasidentifiedasa

horsemolartooth.Itderivedfromthepileofbrickrubble(1004)inKiln2andwasinterpreted

onsiteashavingbeenincorporatedwithinthematerialthatwassubsequentlyburnt.The

osteologicalanalysisconfirmedthatthetooth,whichhadsincefragmentedintosixpieces,

waslikelytobeunrelatedtotheactivityatthebrickkilns(Tourunen2007).

7 ArchiveThesitearchiveiscomprisedofthefollowingmaterials:

Item QuantitiesContextsheets 18

Samplesheets 0

Context,PhotoandSampleRegisters 8

Photos 122

Plans 0

Sections 8

Thearchivematerialiscontainedwithinonebox.

ThearchiveiscurrentlystoredintheofficesofHeadlandArchaeology,Unit1,Wallingstown

BusinessPark,LittleIsland,Cork.Itisproposedthatfollowingcompletionofpostexcavation

thearchivewillbedepositedwithGalwayCountyCouncil.

8 ReferencesArchaeoPhysicaLtd2004ArchaeologicalGeophsicalSurveyReport.Publishedreportsubmitted

toGalwayCountyCouncil

Geddes,G2006.N6GalwaytoBallinalsoeNationalRoadScheme:LoughreaandAttymonLight

Railway(1890 1975).UnpublishedreportforHeadlandArchaeologyLtd

Hull,G.2005.BrickKilns.ArchaeologyIreland19:4Issue74

Hammond,

M.

1977.

Brick

Kilns:

An

Illustrated

Survey.

Industrial

Archaeological

Review

1:171

192


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10

Jones,M2004Archaeologicaltestexcavationsonaringfortsite(GA96:089)inFarranablakeEast,Co.

Galway,ontherouteoftheproposedN6GalwaytoEastBallinasloeroadscheme.Publishedreport

submittedtoGalwayCountyCouncil

OS1837

Ordnance

Survey

of

Co.

Galway,

first

edition,

sheet

96,

scale

1:10560

OS18971913 OrdnanceSurveyofCo.Galway,secondeditionsheet96,scale1:10560

RPSMCOS2004N6GalwaytoEastBallinasloeEnvironmentalImpactStatement.Published

reportsubmittedtoGalwayCountyCouncil

Rynne,C.2006.IndustrialIreland17501930:AnArchaeology.Cork:TheCollinsPress.

Tourunen,A.2007.FinalreportonthefaunalremainsfromBrusk,Co.Galway.Unpublished

reportforHeadlandArchaeologyLtd.

Wilkins,B.2006.N25WaterfordBypass,Contract3.Preliminaryreportonarchaeological

investigationsatSite34inthetownlandofNewrath,Co.Kilkenny.Unpublishedreportfor

HeadlandArchaeologyLtd.


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Athenry

Galway

Figure 1 - N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Co. Galway, Contract 2: Brusk E2063Location of excavation area

extent of backfilledclay pits

E2063

Reproduced from 2002 Ordnance Survey of Ireland 1:50,000 Discovery Series no 46,C Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Government of Ireland. Licence No. EN 0008105

= CPO

N

0 100 m

C Ordnance Survey of Ireland and Government of Ireland. Licence No. EN 0008105


13/32

Figure 2 - N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Co. Galway, Contract 2: Brusk E2063Location of excavation area and RMP extract

N

0 250 m

= CPO

= Excavated Area

Reproduced from 1933 Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Second Edition, Six Inch to One Mile map, Galway Sheet 96C Ordnance Survey of Ireland and Government of Ireland. Licence No. EN 0008105


14/32

Figure 3 - N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Co. Galway, Contra


15/32

Kiln 1iln 1

Kiln 1

Kiln 3

Kiln 2

Possible well

2 pits

0 100 m

N

Figure 4 - N6 Galway to Ballinas

Kiln 3

treedamage

treedamage

Plate 1- Post-ex detail of brick shadows Plate 2- Post-excavation of Kiln 1

Plate 3- Relationship between kilns 1 and 2 Plate 4- Kiln 3 Post-excavation East side

P

Plate 3

Plate 4late 4Plate 4bri


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Plate 1- Kiln 2 Mid- excavation overall Plate 2- Kiln 2, 2nd row from NE, NW end moving to SE end

Kiln 1iln 1Kiln 1

Kiln 3

Kiln 2

Possible well

2 pits

0 100 m

N

Plate 2Plate 2


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1m gap between sections

1004

1007

1005 1010 and 1006

1003

1008

1004

1006

Bricks

1006

Bricks

1003

Kiln 1


S

S

N

0 4

= Location of sections(triangles point to face of sectio


18/32

Figure 7 - N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Co. Galway, Contract 2: Brusk E2063South and East facing sections of Kiln 3

1008

1008

10121007

1005

1006

1006

1010

1010

1003 1003

1003

1011

1011

1011 Brick Brick

Kiln 3

tree damage

treedamage

South facing section of Kiln 3

East facing section of Kiln 3

0 1 m

W

S N

E

N

0 4 m

= Location of sections(triangles point to face of section)


19/32

E2063:1000:001

Figure 8 - N6 Galway to Ballinasloe Scheme, Co. Galway, Contract 2: Brusk E2063

Copper alloy fragment from kiln 2

0 5 cm


20/32

Plate 1 - Pre-excavation view of kiln 1, facing N

Plate 2 - North facing elevation of bricks, kiln 1


21/32

Plate 3 - View of brick rows in southeast corner of kiln 1, facing NW

Plate 4 - Post-excavation view of southern end of kiln 1, facing SW


22/32

Plate 5 - Southeast facing section of northeast corner, kiln 1

Plate 6 - Post-excavation view of kiln 1, facing N


23/32

Plate 7 - Mid-excavation view of kiln 2, facing N

Plate 8 - Mid-excavation view of northern end of kiln 2, facing NW


24/32

Plate 9 - Post-excavation view of southern end of kiln 2, facing NW

Plate 10 - Post-excavation detail of bricks at northwestern end of kiln 2, facing SW


25/32

Appendix1:ContextregisterFILLOF: CONTEXT TYPE

FILLEDBY:

Length(m)

Width(m)

Depth(m) Description

n/a 1000 Deposit n/a n/a n/a 0.2Light

to

mid

brown

silty

clay,

fewstones,loosecompaction.

1002 1001 Deposit n/a 2.4 2.2 0.27

Midorangebrownfinesiltycla

occasionalpebbles,soft

compaction.

n/a 1002 Cut 1001 2.4 2.2 0.27

Circularinplan,shallowsides,

concavebase,filledby(1001).

n/a 1003 Deposit n/a n/a n/a n/a

Lightbrownsiltyclay,very

occasionallimestone.

n/a 1004 Deposit n/a n/a n/a 0.10.15

Brickredrubbleamongst

remainingbrickstacks,

comprisedof

broken

bricks,

bri

dustorunfiredbrickswithinsi

clay,moderatecompaction.

n/a 1005 Deposit n/a n/a n/a 0.02

Yellowgrittysandbeneaththe

stackedbricks,loosecompactio

Probablylaidbeforetheunfired

bricks.


Blacksiltyclayunderand

aroundthekiln,looscompactio

Eitheroriginallynatural(1003)

redepositednatural(1008)that

has

been

heat

affected

and

reduced.


Whitegrittysand.Probablyash

thatwasrakedoutofthekiln

beforethebrickswereremoved


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Brownsiltyclay,loose

compaction.Redepositednatur

(1003)bankedagainstthekiln

sidesandtakendownafterfirin

leadingto

incorporation

of

bric

(1011).

n/a 1009 Deposit n/a 1.1 n/a 0.1

Orangeandblackmixofbrick

rubble(1004)andreducedsoil

(1006),loosecompaction.

Probablyanareadisturbedafte

firing.


Brown(aubergine)siltyclay,

loosecompaction.Lightlyheat

affectedandprobablyafading

outof(1006).


Discarded

bricks

within

[1008]

probablyincorporatedasthe

bankwastakendownandspre

out.

n/a 1012 Deposit n/a n/a n/a 0.050.06

Blackredsiltyclay,loose

compaction.Burntorganics

within1008).


27/32

Appendix2:FindsregisterFindno. Kiln Material Description QuantityE2063:1000:001

2

Cualloy

Copper

alloy

grooved

fragment,

0.13mx0.05m

1

E2063:1004:001 2 Tooth Burnttoothwithinkiln 1brokentoothin1bag

Appendix3:SampleregisterSampleno. Context Description QuantityE2063:001 (1004) Kiln1:Bricksamongsttherubble. 10bricks

E2063:002 Stacks Kiln1:Bricksfrombrickstacks. 10bricks

E2063:003 (1004) Kiln2:Bricksamongsttherubble. 9

E2063:004

Stacks

Kiln2:

Bricks

from

brick

stacks.

5

E2063:005 (1004) Kiln3:Bricksamongsttherubble. 6

E2063:006 Stacks Kiln3:Bricksfrombrickstacks. 7

E2063:007 Clay Naturalclayinvicinityofkilns. 2bags

Appendix4:PhotoregisterShotno. Dir. Description Date63 N Kiln1:Workingshot BC100506

64 N Kiln1:Therowsofbricksatsouth/eastcorner BC100506

65

N

Kiln1:

The

rows

of

bricks

at

south/west

corner

BC

10

05

06

66 N Kiln1:Anicerowofbricks(yellow)ateastside BC100506

67 N Kiln1:Theendofastackofbricksateastside BC100506

68 S Kiln1:Nfacingpileofbricksatnorth/eastcorner BC100506

69 N Kiln1:Workingshot BC100506

70 N Shotshowingallthreekilns BC100506

71 N Shotshowingrelationshipbetweenkilns BC100506

72 N Preexcavationshotofmound/kiln1 BC100506

73 Workingshot BC100506

74 S Workingshot BC100506

75 S [1002],quartersectionofdewhole BW110506

76

N

Workingshot

BC

11

05

06

77 W Restingshot BC110506

78 E Kiln1:Northend:Westfacingsection(1) SOD110506



81 W Kiln1:Northend:Eastfacingsection(1) SOD110506



84 N Kiln1:Westend:Southfacingsection(1) SOD110506

85 S Kiln1:Westend:Northfacingsection(1) SOD110506


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86 W Kiln1:Southend:Eastfacingsection(1) SOD110506

87 W Kiln1:Southend:Eastfacingsection(2) SOD110506

88 E Kiln1:Southend:Westfacingsection(1) SOD110506

89 E Kiln1:Southend:Westfacingsection(2) SOD110506

90 E Kiln1:Postexcavationofsouth/eastcorner BC120506

91 W Kiln1:Postexcavationofsouthend BC120506

92 W Kiln1:Postexcavationofnorthend BC120506

93 W Kiln1:Southend:Eastfacingsection(1) BC120506

94 W Kiln1:Southend:Eastfacingsection(2) BC120506

95 E Kiln1:Southend:Westfacingsection(1) BC120506

96 E Kiln1:Southend:Westfacingsection(2) BC120506

97 N Kiln1:Eastside:Southfacingsection&post

excavation

BC120506

98 N Kiln1:Eastside:Southfacingsection(1) BC120506



101 S Kiln1:Eastside:Northfacingsection(1) BC120506



104 W Kiln1:Postexcavationdetailofbrickshadows BC120506

105 S Kiln1:Postexcavationdetailofbrickshadows BC120506

106 N Kiln1:Largescalepostexcavation BC120506

107 N Kiln1:South/eastquadrantpostexcavation BC120506

108 N Kiln1:South/westquadrantpostexcavation BC120506

109 N Kiln1:North/westquadrantpostexcavation BC120506

110 N Kiln1:North/eastquadrantpostexcavation BC120506

111 N Kiln1:Largescalepostexcavation BC120506

112 N Kiln1:Largescalepostexcavationshowsrelationto

1&2

BC120506

NEWCARD

1 W Kiln2:Preexcavation BC160506

2 W Kiln2:Preexcavation BC160506

3 W Kiln2:Workingshot BC160506

4 E Kiln2:Workingshot BC160506


6 NE Kiln2:Workingshot BC180506

7 NW Kiln2:Workingshot BC180506


9 NW Kiln2:Workingshot BC180506

10 SW Kiln2:Workingshot BC180506


12 W Kiln2:Mid/Postexcavationoverall BC190506

13 NW Kiln2:Mid/Postexcavationnorth/eastend BC190506


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14 NW Kiln2:Mid/PostexcavationNEcentre BC190506

15 NW Kiln2:Mid/PostexcavationSWcentre BC190506

16 NW Kiln2:Mid/PostexcavationSWend BC190506

17 N Kiln2:Mid/Postexcavationsouthcornerdamage BC190506

18 NE Kiln2:Mid/Postexcavationeastcornerdetail BC190506

19 SW Kiln2:Mid/PostexcavationNWsidedetail BC190506

20 NE Kiln2:2ndrowfromNE,NWend MH190506

21 NE Kiln2:2ndrowfromNE,NWendmovingtoSEend MH190506






27 NE Kiln2:2ndrowfromNE,SEend MH190506

28 SW Kiln2:Workingshot MH190506

29 NW Kiln2:2ndrowfromNE,bricksatNWend MH190506

30 NW Kiln2:3rdrowfromNE,bricksatNWend MH190506


32 NW Kiln2:2nd&3rdrowsfromNE,takenfromground MH190506

33 NW Kiln2:3rdrowfromNE,bricksatNWend MH190506


35 N Kiln2:Workingshot MH190506

36 E Kiln2:SectionatNEofkiln MH190506



39 W Kiln2:SectionatNEofkiln MH190506

40 W Kiln2:SectionatNEofkiln MH190506

41 S Kiln2:NfacingsectionatNWofkiln NK250506




45 W Kiln3:Southend BC250506

46 W Kiln3:South/eastcorner BC250506

47 W Kiln3:South/eastcorner BC250506

48 E Kiln3:Southend BC250506

49

E

Kiln

3:

South

end

BC

25

05

06

50 N Kiln3:Westside BC250506

51 S Kiln3:Westside BC250506

52 S Kiln3:Westside BC250506

53 N Kiln3:Detailofbrickstacksonwestside BC250506

54 E Kiln3:Detailofbrickstacksonwestside BC250506

55 S Kiln3:Eastside BC250506

56 S Kiln3:Northfacingsectionateastsideofkiln BC250506

57 S Kiln3:Northfacingsectionateastsideofkiln BC250506

58 N Kiln3:Southfacingsectionateastsideofkiln BC250506


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61 N Kiln3:Eastside BC250506


63 N Kiln3:Eastside,Northenddamage BC250506


65 S Kiln3:Detailofbrickstacksoneastside BC250506

66 S Kiln3:Postexcavationonwestside BC250506

67 SE Kiln3:Postexcavationoneastside BC250506

68 W Kiln3:Postexcavation onnorthsidewithtree BC250506

69 N Kiln3:Postexcavationonwestsidewithtree BC250506

70 W Kiln3:Eastfacingsectionofsouthslot BC250506

71 W Kiln3:Eastfacingsectionofsouthslot BC250506

72 NW Kiln3:Eastfacingsectionofsouthslot BC250506

Appendix5:DrawingregisterDrwg. Sect. Plan Description Date1 1:20 Kiln1:EfacingsectionofNendofkiln AB110506

2 1:20 Kiln1:EfacingsectionofSendofkiln NK120506

3 1:20 Kiln1:NfacingsectionofWendofkiln MH150506

4

1:20

Kiln1:

Sfacing

section

of

W

end

of

kiln

MH

15

05

06

5 1:20 Kiln2:WfacingsectionofNendofkiln MH150506

6 1:20 Kiln2:NfacingsectionofEendofkiln NK

7 1:20 Kiln3:SfacingsectionofEendofkiln LC

8 1:20 Kiln3:EfacingsectionofSendofkiln NK


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Appendix 6: Site Matrix


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Appendix7:FaunalRemainsReport

Fullarchaeological resolutionwas conductedonBrusk,Co.Galway (E2063)duringMay2006.

Threebrickkilnswereexposedandexcavated.Totalofsixfragmentsofburnthorsetoothwere

recoveredfromtherubblelayerofdiscardedbricks(1004).

Duetothesmallsizeofthematerial,nodetailedanalysiswaspossible.Itislikelythattheteeth

fragmentsdonotrelatetobrickburningactivitiesbutderivefromahorseburiedorslaughtered

nearby.

Context Species Element NISP

1004 Horse Molartooth 6

Table1.Speciesandanatomicalrepresentationofsample(NISP).

brusk early modern brick kilns

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