Medieval Site in Ireland

Abstract

A Medieval village, of probable Anglo-Norman age, was discovered buried in a field east of a still-standing castle in western Ireland. This village is composed of houses that were enclosed by ditched and berms that were likely property boundaries but also served to drain the wet ground for other activities. The ditches are readily visible with magnetic mapping, and the central hearths of houses stand out as distinct positive magnetic anomalies. The house floors and other built features on this cultural landscape are visible using GPR reflection profiles, and their interpretation helps in understanding many of the magnetic features through the area. A structure, which is likely a crannog, is visible in both magnetic and GPR amplitude maps in what is a marshy area today. The GPR images of this building show a distinct floor and central hearth, with posts and a stone wall that supported it. The magnetic readings show part of its floor outline, and the central hearth. An overall analysis of the human presence on this broad landscape east of the castle indicates that the people who lived there were connected to the ruling elite in the castle by a road leading through their village, heading directly to the castle gates. Those people may have played a role in the construction of the castle, or provided products and services during the time of the Anglo-Norman invasions and subsequent occupation.