2003:381 - WATTSTOWN: Soldier’s Hill, Derry

Metal detecting, monitoring and subsequent resolution excavations were undertaken at Soldier’s Hill, Wattstown, Coleraine, Co. Derry, in advance of housing development. No artefacts were recovered by metal detecting. Removal of topsoil identified five areas of archaeology (Areas 2A–C, 3A, 3B). A number of flint tools were also recovered from the topsoil, including butt-trimmed (Bann) flakes dating to the Mesolithic period.

Area 2A
A pit (C101) and three cultivation furrows (C103, C105, C107) were identified in Area 2A. C101 consisted of a subcircular pit which measured 0.79m north–south by 0.72m by 0.11m deep. It had a single fill of loose dark-brown clayey loam with occasional flecks of charcoal and subangular stones up to 0.1m in length. Two non-abraided sherds of decorated pottery were recovered from it. Preliminary analysis of this pottery indicates that the sherds come from different vessels, one of which was possibly a bowl and probably dates to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age period. Seven pieces of flint debitage, one piece of which was burnt, were also recovered from the fill.

The cultivation furrows were orientated north–south. C103 was located 2.39m west of C101 and measured, on average, 0.73m wide. Located 1.66m to the east of C103, C105 was, on average, 0.68m wide. C107 was located 1.78m east of C105 and was 0.6m wide. The fills of these furrows consisted of dark-brown silty clay with occasional sub-rounded to subangular stones an average 40mm in length.

Area 2B
Five pits (C127, C133, C137, C139 and C145) and two field drains (C141 and C143) were identified in Area 2B. The pits were generally subcircular in shape and measured on average 0.81m by 0.73m by 0.23m deep. Of the five, four had a homogenous fill of dark-brown clayey loam with occasional small sub-rounded to subangular stones. A small stake-hole (C147) was cut into the west side of C145, while the west-north-west side of C133 was cut by C137. The secondary fill of C127, a dark-brown clayey loam with occasional flecks of charcoal, was underlain by a stiff grey clay with frequent flecks of charcoal. Four pieces of flint debitage, along with a possible pre-form flint flake, were recovered from the secondary fill. C127 was partially truncated by C143. No patterns which may have indicated a structure could be discerned in the locations of the pits.

The field drains were orientated west-north-west/east-south-east and north-north-west/south-south-east. They had a U-shaped profile, with an average width of 0.48m and an average depth of 0.53m. Their bases were filled with sub-rounded stones up to 0.31m in length. The upper fill consisted of a dark-brown silty clay with occasional stones up to 90mm in length.

Area 2C
Two possible hearth bases (C110 and C128) were identified in Area 2C. C110 was sub-rounded and measured 0.61m north–south by 0.59m by 0.16m deep. The base was flat. The primary fill was a stiff, heavily oxidised red clay with occasional subangular stones up to 90mm in length. This was overlain by a dark-brown loamy clay with occasional sub-rounded stones up to 5mm in length. Two sherds of black earthenware were recovered from the uppermost extent of this fill.

C228 was located 4.98m west-south-west of C110. It was curvilinear in shape with rounded corners and measured 0.59m north-north-east/south-south-west by 0.24m north–south by 50mm deep. The base was flat. It was filled with a stiff, purplish-red silty clay with occasional subangular stones up to 30mm in length.

Area 3A
A sub-oval trough/pit with rounded corners orientated north-west/south-east (C125) was identified in Area 3A. It measured 1.59m east–west by 1.3m by 0.5m deep. The base sloped gradually from south-east to north-west. Six fills were identified within it. These consisted of silty clays with moderate to frequent heat-fractured and fire-reddened stones and charcoal flecks. Two pieces of flint debitage were recovered from the fills, along with a bead. The shape of C125, the nature of the fills and its location beside a small stream, now channelled and partially culverted, would indicate that this is possibly a trough associated with a fulacht fiadh. No trace of the fulacht spread was found during the monitoring of topsoil removal.

Area 3B
Two possible corn-drying kilns, Kilns C123 and C276, were identified in Area 3B. Kiln C123 consisted of a flue (C113), a stoke-hole or fire-pit (C273) and a stone-lined drying bowl (C275). Kiln C276 comprised a flue (C263) and bowl (C274). Both features were dug into a north-north-west-facing slope.

C263 was a gully with a U-shaped profile and a flat base, 0.26m wide. It was L-shaped in plan and ran in a south-south-east direction for a distance of 1.75m before turning to the east-south-east. It continued on this orientation for 2.45m before terminating in a subcircular pit (C274), measuring 1.95m north-north-west to south-south-east by 1.85m east–west by 0.6m deep. C263 and C274 were filled by a stiff dark-brown silty clay with moderate flecks of charcoal. These features were interpreted as the flue and bowl of a possible kiln. The lack of oxidisation in the bowl and the small amounts of charcoal recovered from the fills along with the lack of carbonised grain may indicate that C276 never really functioned as a cereal-drying kiln.
The west side of C263 was truncated by C113, a linear gully 5.8m long and orientated north-north-west/south-south-east. C113 varied in width and depth, generally widening and deepening from north-north-west to south-south-east. It was interpreted as a flue. Two recuts were visible in it. A possible stokehole or rake-pit (C273) was located 6m from the north-north-west end of C113. This took the form of a curve in the western side of C113 which formed an approximately hemispherical-shaped pit 0.51m north-north-west/south-south-east by 0.85m east–west. The eastern edge of C273 was defined by a line of three large stones which measured 1.09m by 0.28m and was orientated north-north-west/south-south-east. Two stake-holes had been cut into the base and sides of C113 immediately north of C273. These may have contained stakes that supported a structure, the function of which may either have been to regulate the flow of air along the flue and into the fire-spot or as a revetment to prevent backfill material from choking the possible stoke-hole/rake-pit.

Immediately south of C273, C113 was stone-lined. The lining was made up of large sub-rounded/subangular stones up to 0.5m in length. The majority were fire-reddened or heat-fractured. Between the stone lining a layer of stones 0.51m east–west by 0.49m and 0.21m thick was visible. This was made up of randomly placed sub-rounded/subangular stones up to 0.28m in length. The majority were fire-reddened or heat-fractured. It is possible that this was a baffling layer, allowing the penetration of hot air, but not sparks, into an upper drying chamber. The location of a fire-spot is indicated by a spread of heavily oxidised stiff red clay. The spread was subcircular in shape and measured 0.8m north–south by 0.42m by 10mm thick and was located towards the south-south-east of C113. This feature partially underlay possible baffling stones. The presence of the fire-spot, the possible baffling stones, the stone lining and the concentration of carbonised grains/seeds in fills in this area indicates that a drying bowl (C275) was located at the south-western end of this feature. The fills of the kiln consisted of silty clays and layers of ash with moderate to frequent flecks of charcoal, burnt bone and carbonised cereal grains/seeds.

Seven post- or stake-holes were located to the west of kiln C123. It is possible that they supported a windbreak, or that some supported a windbreak while others supported a small structure over or around the drying bowl (C275) at the south-western end of the kiln.
The evidence suggests that C123 is later than C276. C123 truncated C263 and the stone lining of C123 partially overlay C262, the fill of C276. This, and the lack of burning in the possible flue (C263) or bowl (C274), the lack of concentrations of charred grains/seeds and the moderate amount of charcoal present in the fill, may indicate that C276 was originally constructed as an L-shaped kiln but was never used as such and was replaced by C123. The homogenous nature of C276 may indicate that this kiln was quickly, perhaps deliberately, backfilled.

Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth