County: Antrim Site name: MALLUSK: Hightown Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/01/25
Author: Chris Long, ADS
Site type: Fulachta fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 729923m, N 881994m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.669332, -5.985783
During the course of topsoil-stripping, as part of ongoing works on the Mayfield Housing Development, the remains of two fulachta fiadh were uncovered.
Site 1 consisted of a heavily truncated spread of burnt mound material measuring 3m north–south by 3.2m and with a maximum depth of 50mm. The burnt spread overlay two troughs. The first of these measured 2.2m east–west by 1m. It was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.6m and was filled with a series of compact plastic clays distinguishable by their varying colour and charcoal content. Trough 1 was cut to the west by Trough 2, which measured 1.15m in diameter and had a maximum depth of 0.35m. It contained two fills. The upper fill consisted of a loose, black loamy silt approximately 0.15m deep, while the lower consisted of a dark brown mottled plastic clay with abundant charcoal flecking. Three stake-holes were cut into the base of the trough. A third trough, located approximately 3m south-east of the burnt spread, was truncated to the east by the cut of a modern drainage pipe. As excavated, it was roughly rectangular in plan and measured 2m north–south by 1.6m. It was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.5m and was filled with a series of charcoal-rich clays containing abundant heat-fractured stone. A number of small stake-holes were cut into the base of the trough.
Site 2 was located approximately 30m south-east of Site 1. It consisted of two troughs, both covered by a relatively thin layer of burnt mound material. Trough 1 was roughly oval in plan, measured 2m north–south by 1.2m and was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.45m. It contained four fills which consisted of a series of plastic clays with varying charcoal content. Trough 2 was again oval in plan, measuring 0.75m north–south by 1.15m, and was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.55m. It contained two fills. The upper consisted of a black plastic clay some 0.4m thick which contained abundant heat-fractured stone. The basal fill was a loose dark grey gravel approximately 0.15m in depth. An existing river channel was recorded running approximately east–west along the south side of the site. The channel had a maximum width of 1.5m and a depth of 0.4m. It was filled with a series of layers of burnt mound material.
Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast BT12 5BJ
