County: Down Site name: ISLANDHILL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DOW011-013 Licence number: AE/03/59
Author: Peter Moore, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Mesolithic (8000 BC-4001 BC)
ITM: E 757182m, N 874155m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.591201, -5.567787
Planning permission was granted to Ards Borough Council to develop an area of land adjacent to the current carpark and picnic area at Islandhill, Ringcreevy, Co. Down. The area proposed for the development lies on the north-western shore of Strangford Lough, north of the Comber Estuary, and overlooking Rough Island, the location of a major prehistoric site first investigated by Movius in the 1930s (SMR 11:13). Monitoring was carried out in advance of the development using a two-phase programme of work: (1) ploughing of the proposed extension area to identify artefact ‘hot-spots’; (2) the monitoring of topsoil-stripping.
In Phase 1, artefacts recovered during topsoil ploughing included sherds of modern ceramics, and glass. A large assemblage of flints was collected, although the majority were either natural pieces or debitage. Three flints were recovered that could be interpreted as end scrapers, but only one displayed evidence of retouch. A polished porcellanite axehead, heavily scoured and pitted, was discovered at the south-east of the site.
In Phase 2, after the removal of topsoil a total of 55 features were recorded, with 29 of these identified as field drains. Twelve of the remaining features were deemed to be of archaeological potential. Eight subcircular features were recorded in a semicircular pattern, although each feature was filled with a deposit resembling topsoil. Two large features (probable pits) were recorded with a charcoal-rich fill, and two possible small hearths were recorded in an otherwise barren area of the site. No artefacts were recovered during the course of the excavation of these features.
A series of deposits was identified towards the south-eastern extremity of the site. The deposits can be compared to the lower stratigraphic sequence (Deposits C and D) of the raised beach recorded by Movius on his excavation at Rough Island (1949). However, the raised beach itself was not present. It has probably been truncated by the agricultural activity that has taken place on the site over the past three decades.
Reference
Movius, H.L. 1949 Report on a Stone Age excavation at Rough Island, Strangford Lough, Co. Down. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 19.
School of Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN
