County: Derry Site name: CARN: Blackthorn Manor Phase II, Rossdowney Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/04/131
Author: Chris Farrimond, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 646541m, N 917287m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.000995, -7.272561
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping in advance of a proposed housing development at Rossdowney Road, Carn, Co. Derry, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2004. Two discrete areas of archaeological activity were identified.
Area 1 comprised an area 50m north-west/southeast by 20m wide and was located in the south-east portion of the development zone. Four small subsoil-cut pits containing charcoal-flecked soils and a large post-hole were identified within this area.
Area 2 comprised an area 9m north-west/southeast by 8m wide and was located in the north-east portion of the development zone. Three subsoil-cut features were identified here: two large pits and a linear section of field drain. The pits averaged 2.8m by 1.2m by 0.3m deep and were filled with various charcoal-flecked silty and sandy clays. No finds were recovered during the excavation of any of the features in either Area 1 or Area 2.
The absence of any artefactual dating evidence means that it is extremely difficult to ascribe a date to any of the features identified on the site. Moreover, no structures or extensive concentrations of archaeological deposits were identified during excavation, suggesting that, while there was some evidence for archaeological activity within the development area, such activity appears to have been extremely limited in extent.
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