2000:0005 - IDB (NI) INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT SITE, Ballyhenry, Antrim

Monitoring of topsoil-stripping and subsequent archaeological excavations at the IDB Industrial Development Site, Ballyhenry, Co. Antrim, proceeded over a nine-month period from October 1999 to June 2000. The site is c. 9 miles north of Belfast, within the borough of Newtownabbey, on the east side of the main A8 Belfast–Larne road. Over this time, ten zones consisting of 21 areas of archaeological activity were uncovered over the 21ha development site. The vast majority of these sites appear to have dated from the prehistoric period, in particular the Bronze Age.

Site 1
Situated in the north-east corner of the development site, this area of archaeological activity consisted of the remains of a possible prehistoric structure that had been badly truncated during previous works on the site. The remains consisted of a number of randomly scattered pits and post-holes over an area c. 18m x 18m in size.

Site 2
Situated c. 255m to the south of Site 1 on top of a ridge of high ground, Site 2 was uncovered as an area of archaeological activity c. 50m x 50m in size. The activity on this site consisted of a large, circular, slotted structure, some 10m in diameter, with an entrance to the south-east and a few small, truncated post-holes internally. A random scatter of pits and post-holes was uncovered outside of the structure.

Another 5m to the south-west of the structure the remains of three cremation burials were excavated. Two of these had been placed in subsoil-cut pits, while the third had been placed in an undecorated vessel. Approximately 10m to the east of the structure was another concentration of archaeological material, in the form of two shallow linear gullies running north–south, and further random scatters of pits and post-holes. Pottery sherds from several features date the site to the Bronze Age.

Site 3
This third site was c. 130m to the north-west of Site 1 and consisted of a large spread of blackened, charcoal-rich material, which in turn overlay the remains of a small semicircular gully, c. 6m long and 0.2–0.8m wide. No datable finds were recovered from this site.

Site 4
Situated c. 60m to the east of Site 2 on top of the ridge was a substantial area of archaeological activity. Again this activity surfaced as a large, circular, slot structure some 12m in diameter, with an entrance to the east. The structure had been very badly truncated in the past, and only a few small, structural post-holes survived within the slot; however, a large, apparently random spread of pits and post-holes was excavated outside of the structure. Approximately 8m to the south-west of the structure a possible enclosure was uncovered. This survived as a series of interrupted slots or pits enclosing a circular area some 9m in diameter. Finds from the site suggest that it ranged in date from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Site 5
Site 5 lay within the western half of the development site, on a second ridge of high ground. An Early Christian rath was situated on this ridge, some 300m to the west of Site 5. This site consisted of a large, circular, ditched enclosure some 17m in diameter, which comprised two concentric ditches encompassing an area c. 226.9m2, with internal structural post-holes. The remains of a circular hut were uncovered within the south-east portion of the enclosure, in the form of a small, semicircular slot c. 4m in diameter. Another, square post-holed structure, which had been disturbed by later activity, was excavated in the eastern side of the enclosure.

A random scatter of pits and post-holes was also excavated outside the area of the site, along with a large linear ditch, 1.3m wide and 0.75m deep, situated to the east, which ran north–south. Finds from the site date it at present to the prehistoric period.

Site 6
Site 6 lay at the bottom of the first ridge, upon which Sites 2 and 4 were uncovered. It consisted of a large rectangular ditched enclosure, 27m x 23m, orientated north-east/south-west, with a single internal division. No internal features were uncovered during excavation of this site. No secure-context datable finds were recovered from the ditch, which may represent an old field division.

Sites 7a–7i
This group of sites consists of the remains of a number of areas of burnt mound material, or fulachta fiadh, in various states of preservation. These sites lay alongside the line of the existing Three Mile Water River, which ran east–west across the development site, and also along the line of the river as it existed in the past. The previous line of the river was frequently uncovered as a channel of waterlogged peaty material within the alluvial clays along the river flood-plain. The sites ranged from small spreads of burnt mound material resting within the alluvial deposits (often not more than 4m2 in size), to those that were typical sites, with a wood-lined trough and a mound of burnt stones and charcoal-rich material. Three sites (Sites 7d, 7e, 7i) in particular produced the remains of wooden troughs, ranging from 1m x 1m to 2m x 1m size, consisting of split wooden planks and brushwood stakes. Each of these sites had a fairly insubstantial low mound of burnt material associated with it. The lack of agricultural activity along the line of the river would negate the possibility of these mounds having been ploughed out, suggesting that these troughs were not in use over a long period.

Sites 8a–8c
This group of sites consists of archaeological activity that was uncovered during topsoil-stripping outside the 10m buffer zone around the existing Early Christian rath. Site 8a was on the north side of the rath and consisted of a number of truncated random pits and post-holes. Finds included a barbed and tanged arrowhead and other worked flint flakes, dating the site to the Bronze Age.

Site 8b lay to the north-east of the rath and consisted of a number of small pits and a large spread of charcoal-rich material under which a large number of stake-holes was uncovered. Also recovered from within the spread were two hammerstones and a number of struck flint flakes. It is possible that this area represented a working area with associated hut structures.

Site 8c lay to the south of the rath and consisted of two large, subcircular cooking-pits that were filled with burnt stones and charcoal-rich material. A large linear ditch some 2m wide and 0.5m deep, running north–south towards the rath, was also excavated, along with a few small, truncated pits. A scraper and prehistoric pottery from the site date it to this period.

Site 9
This site lay to the north-east of the rath, below the level of Site 8b, and consisted of the remains of a linear brushwood drain, of possible post-medieval date.

Site 10a–e
This group of sites consisted of deposits of wood in the bog material/alluvial deposits within the river flood-plain. These deposits of wood consisted of collections of branches and logs, some of which appear to have been hacked/felled. Most of these sites may have been the result of clearance of undetermined antiquity, although Site 10e appeared at the same levels on the flood-plain as the Bronze Age fulachta fiadh. This site consisted of a deposit of chopped branches and brushwood lain down on a natural gravel mound, presumably in order to consolidate the ground surface in an area that otherwise would have been very wet. A number of flint flakes and some prehistoric pottery were recovered from on top of the gravel surface, within the area of the wood deposits. This would date the site to this period.

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