Kilkenny - a medieval centre for the production of pottery

Kilkenny was a medieval centre for the production of pottery in the 14th century according to the findings of a book which was recently published.

Highhays: A Medieval Pottery Production Centre in South East Ireland by the late Emma Devine and Cóilín Ó Drisceoil presents the first comprehensive study of the making and marketing of pottery in medieval Ireland and focuses on a well-preserved 14th-century pottery production centre which was excavated in 2006 by the authors at Highhays, outside the city walls of Kilkenny.

Foremost amongst the outputs from the kiln site were high-quality, wheel-thrown, green-glazed jugs that were closely modelled on French Saintonge and Bristol Redcliffe archetypes and the volume describes the distinctive processes, kiln-firing technology and raw materials that were employed to produce these, and the other wares, represented on the site.

The authors also place the production of pottery at Highhays in its broader context by presenting an overall review of the archaeological and historical evidence for pottery making and consumption in medieval Ireland, as well as exploring the cultural background and social status of potters in the Anglo-Norman colony. Supporting the analysis and interpretation of the Highhays site are specialist and scientific contributions on the pottery, tiles, ceramic production material, metal finds, coins and archaeobotanical and animal bone remains from the site, archaeomagnetic and radiocarbon dating and plasma spectrometry and petrological analysis.

Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said that the book ‘opens to us a new understanding of the surroundings of the medieval city of Kilkenny and the nature of its economy; a view of a previously unknown medieval suburb and a major medieval centre for the production of pottery. We now have not just the ability to enjoy a range of surviving medieval monuments in the towns and countryside of Kilkenny and to walk in historic town centres originating in medieval times, but also the opportunity to better understand the historical context of those monuments and what life was like for those who built and used them’.

For more see www.oxbowbooks.com