Smithing at the priory of Lavinadière, Corrèze, France, 13th and 16th centuries
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Abstract
The Priory of Lavinadière was a possession of the order of the Latin Canons of the Holy Sepulchre. Study of the clergy-house site began in the mid-1990s, and excavations have been undertaken there on a regular basis since 2003. Evidence for smithing activities in the priory was recorded in the filling of a ditch dating from the Middle Ages. A 16th-century smithy was excavated, located north of the stone buildings. Residues from the two periods were studied, hearth bottoms were measured and weighed, and metallographic examination undertaken. The bottoms were found to form two groups. The distribution of hammerscale in the smithy was examined,
leading to hypotheses about space management. The hammerscale was sorted by type and their microstructures studied. Metallurgical activity in the priory seems to have consisted of the making and repair of small objects.
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