been discerned in the layout of these features along with
the shrine or small church built over the saint’s grave.
There is a need for research excavation at some suitable
site to throw light on the layout of the timber buildings
apart from churches in the ecclesiastical core.
Incidental references to ecclesiastical settlements
give some indication of their size and layout and the
types of people living in the areas around the ecclesi-
astical core. A story told in the Fragmentary Irish
Annalsrelating to the year 909 describes a king of
Leinster entering Kildare on horseback eastward along
the “street of the stone steps” when a comb maker,
setting out his antlers at his workshop, caused the horse
to rear up, resulting in the king being thrown backward
onto his own spear, which was being carried by his
servant. Armagh had distinct sectors, each called a
trian(third):Trian Saxan,Trian Masain, andTrian
Mór, meaning the English, middle, and great third,
respectively. An indication of the number of houses on
these sites is given by some references to Clonmacnoise,
where in a raid in 1179, 105 houses were burned and
in 1205 the abbot’s enclosure and forty-seven houses
near it were destroyed. The construction of stone-
paved roadways at Clonmacnoise, from one part of the
settlement to another, is referred to on three occasions
in the annals.
Archaeological Evidence
Archaeological evidence for the more domestic build-
ings directly associated with the ecclesiastical estab-
lishment is very scarce. These buildings would have
been built of perishable materials, and at virtually all
of these sites, the ecclesiastical core has been used for
burial for many centuries. The scale of subsequent
burial activity is likely to have seriously disturbed the
archaeological stratigraphy of the core area and, with
burial continuing in many cases, it may be inappropri-
ate even to contemplate excavation.
Nendrum, County Down, was excavated exten-
sively in the 1920s and claims were made that the
structures found within the middle enclosure were the
domestic buildings, scriptorium, school house, and so
forth of the monastery. However, the excavation was
not of a high quality and little confidence can be placed
in the sequence, dating, or identification of structures
and features.
There is good evidence for large enclosures sur-
rounding ecclesiastical settlements. These were first
highlighted as a result of aerial photographs taken by
J. K. S. St. Joseph in the 1960s. Leo Swan pioneered
the study of these enclosures and, through his own
aerial work, greatly increased the number of known
sites. In size these enclosures average 90 to 120 meters
in diameter, with some measuring as large as 400
meters. The enclosing element was usually a bank and
external ditch, but some had a large dry-built wall. At
the larger sites there is sometimes evidence for two or
three concentric enclosures, with the inner enclosure
containing the main ecclesiastical core and the more
secular dependent settlement being confined to the
outer enclosure or enclosures. Occasionally there is
evidence for further suburban settlement along
approach roads or attached to churches just beyond the
outer enclosure.
In some cases, such as Kiltiernan, County Galway,
and Moyne in the parish of Shrule, County Mayo, there
is further clear evidence for radial divisions within the
enclosure. In the case of Moyne, excavation showed
that the most visible divisions were late medieval in
date. This serves as a warning about interpreting the
early history of these sites from the visible surface
remains alone. To understand their early development,
archaeological excavation is essential.
Many of the more important sites continue as urban
centers today such as Armagh, Kells, Tuam, and Kildare,
and the enclosures are reflected in the modern street
patterns. Most excavation that has taken place within
these sites has been limited in extent and is often not
very informative regarding the layout of the settlement.
A notable exception has been Heather King’s excava-
tions in the new graveyard at Clonmacnoise. Here, at
each side of a roadway, platforms for circular houses
and other structures were found as well as corn-drying
kilns, a boat slip, and evidence for metal working and
comb making. The best-preserved evidence in this part
of the site dated from about the eighth century. Evi-
dence for small circular houses has also been found at
smaller sites such as Kilpatrick, County Westmeath,
and evidence for metal working and comb making is
commonly found on these sites.The Economy
Mills were an important feature of the economy of
these settlements, and most significant sites would
have had a mill on or relatively close to the site. For
example, up until the nineteenth century, there was a
mill still functioning close to the main settlement at
Clonmacnoise on the southeast side. It is likely that it
was on the site of the early medieval mill. Considerable
effort was expended at St Mullin’s, County Carlow, to
dig a millstream to power a mill on the ridge close to
the churches. As early as the twelfth century this mill-
stream was regarded as the work of the saint, and
wading through its waters became part of the pilgrim-
age at St Mullin’s. In the case of Nendrum on a small
island in Strangford Lough, there was no stream thatECCLESIASTICAL SETTLEMENTS