County: Armagh Site name: DERRYMORE FORT, Bessbrook
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 26:8 Licence number: AE/01/38, 42, 69
Author: Chris Long, ADS
Site type: Ringfort - rath
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 704828m, N 828006m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.190267, -6.393722
The site was located across one of the ‘steps’ which form the western slope of a prominent drumlin. There was little evidence of surface features, but a 15m section of bank was recorded within the shadow of a mature beech tree. The bank was 8m wide and stood 0.25m above the interior and 1.2m above the exterior ground surface.
Excavation revealed the enclosing ditch to be somewhat oval in plan, measuring 37m north–south by 39m. It was on average 5m wide and varied in depth from 1.6m to 0.8m. To the north, east and west a series of later field drains had been cut through its base. Three main fills were recorded within the ditch. The basal fill consisted of a dark grey silt; this was covered by a dark yellow/brown clay loam. The upper fill consisted of an orange/yellow brown clay loam. Evidence for an entrance was recorded in the north-east, where the ditch appeared to have been deliberately backfilled with subsoil material to form an entrance causeway.
Three 10m by 10m grids were opened within the rath interior. Grid 1 was in the south-west quadrant. Excavation revealed the presence of an L-shaped, subsoil-cut trench. It was approximately 1m wide and had a stepped base, which ranged in depth from 0.3m to 1.2m. The fills of the trench indicated that it had been left open and allowed to silt up naturally before being deliberately backfilled. A number of curvilinear gullies were also recorded within this grid.
Grid 2 was in the south-east quadrant. Again a large L-shaped subsoil-cut trench was recorded, approximately 0.9m wide and 1.4m deep. It contained a single fill, which consisted of yellow/brown compact gritty clay. A number of sherds of souterrain ware were recorded from the lower levels of this fill. A series of curvilinear gullies were also recorded within this grid. For the most part they extended north-east/south-west and enclosed an area of approximately 3m by 4m. No archaeological deposits were recorded within this area.
Grid 3 was in the north-east quadrant. Once again an L-shaped subsoil-cut trench was recorded. It was approximately 0.9m wide and had a sloping base which ranged in depth from 0.1m to 1.2m. It contained a number of fills, which consisted of a series of compact gritty clays. A number of sherds of souterrain ware were recorded within the basal fill of the feature.
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