1976:13 - CASTLEROE, Derry

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Derry Site name: CASTLEROE

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number:

Author: P.C. Woodman, Department of Antiquities, Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Site type: Habitation site

Period/Dating: Mesolithic (8000 BC-4001 BC)

ITM: E 685833m, N 929884m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.108920, -6.654799

This site is on a bluff just south of the Cutts, on the western bank of the River Bann. It is about 30ft above the river. A small rescue excavation was carried out when service trenches inside an out-building of the Span Board factory exposed the remnants of a Mesolithic occupation layer which had been mostly destroyed when the factory was erected. The exposed area included two substantial postholes and a pit.

The archaeological material seems to be the same as that found at Mount Sandel (upper). One rather crude scraper, a micro-awl and several micro liths were recovered. Two samples were submitted for C14 dating. The results were:

Occupation layer
Pit 1.
U.B.2171 6805 ± 135b.c.
U.B.2171 6610 ± 75b.c.