2003:0015 - DRUMADOON, Antrim

Between 12 May and 15 August 2003 an excavation was carried out on a site in Drumadoon, located on a natural gravel mound overlooking the Carey River, at an altitude of approximately 90m above sea level. There are excellent views of the surrounding countryside, especially to the north, west and south. Only a portion of the site now remains, since the south side had collapsed into the Carey River valley by the late 1830s. In addition, quarrying in the 19th and 20th centuries has further eroded the north face of the monument. The site was in imminent danger of further substantial collapse and it was decided that an excavation was appropriate. This work showed the site to be a ringfort, with a number of distinct phases of occupation.

Phase I
The site was constructed between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. The bank appears to have been constructed first with an entrance gap to the east. Only a short stretch of the bank, c. 8m, now remains standing, to a maximum height of 1.6m. Although only one third of the site remains intact, it is likely that the bank originally enclosed an area with a diameter of around 20m. There was only a short break in time between the construction of the bank and the construction of a souterrain. The drystone-built souterrain was roughly S-shaped in plan and 15m long. It was internally c. 1.5m high from floor to lintel. It had two entrance passages, running to the west and south, and a third, deeper, refuge chamber running to the east under the bank. The construction styles of the two entrance passages were noticeably different to the third section. The entrance passages had smaller, well-sorted stones used for the construction of the walls and selected schist flags used for the roof lintels. The deeper chamber used much larger stones for its side walls and more massive boulders for its roof lintels. Due to health and safety considerations, it was not possible to completely excavate the deepest section of the souterrain.

In the occupation layer immediately post-dating the construction of the site there was a stone hearth and a paved area, as well as considerable amounts of bone and pottery. The pottery appears to have been of the plain, undercoated type of souterrain ware, which is usually accepted to be the earliest type of this ware. Souterrain ware came into use in the 8th century AD and the later ware was cordoned and decorated. Souterrain wares are conventionally believed to have begun around AD 1000.

Phase 2
A second phase of Early Christian settlement is defined by the presence of later developed variants of souterrain ware and possible transitional types with similarities to everted-rim ware. This phase on the site had a hearth and paved area, similar in form but stratigraphically separated from the hearth and paved area in Phase 1. Towards the east of the site were the burnt remains of a wicker hut, banking up against some of the material used to fill the entrance-way in the aftermath of the construction of the souterrain.

Phase 3
A third phase of occupation dates from around AD 1200, possibly ending in the early 14th century. During this phase the bank, which had slumped in Phase 2, was reinforced and it is possible that some stone-footed buildings were erected on the summit of the mound, although they were much disturbed by later activity. Fragments of glazed medieval pottery, everted rim-ware, a coin of mid-13th-century date and a bell shrine were recovered.

After abandonment of the site, probably in the 14th century, there appeared to be some removal of stone footings and deliberate infill of at least part of the souterrain, probably to make the site safe for animals. At some stage the mound on which the site was constructed began to collapse into the Carey River. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs imply that this had happened not more than a generation or two previously. This may be true, but it is also possible that an earlier collapse was responsible for the site’s abandonment in the early 14th century.