2006:68 - Demesne, Rathlin Island, Antrim

An excavation of a Bronze Age cist burial was carried out to the rear of Mc Cuaig’s bar, Church Bay, Rathlin Island. The excavation was a follow-up investigation to work carried out by Declan Hurl (see No. 67 above). A crouched inhumation burial and an intact tripartite bowl were recovered from the cist. Disarticulated human remains were observed in a shallow pit stratigraphically above the cist, and the presence of these remains prompted the need for further investigation. The cist lay c. 3m up an unstable gravel slope, from which the disarticulated remains were actively eroding.
The area of Church Bay is well documented as an area of archaeological significance. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries there are instances recorded of ‘tumuli’ being present in the Church Bay area, and the standing stone visible today (ANT001–014) may represent the remains of a cemetery in this area. The most recent excavations of cists in the Church Bay area were undertaken in 1983–4 under the direction of Ken Wiggins. In all, seven cists were excavated, each containing inhumation burials.
A 3m by 3m trench was opened, centred on the cist, which was constructed of split limestone slabs. Prior to the excavation, mounds of redeposited gravel were observed on the ground surface, resulting from work carried out by the landowner. The mound of gravel in the excavation area was manually removed until the original ground surface was reached. Upon excavation, the disarticulated human remains were recovered and were found to represent at least two individuals. A limestone slab positioned to the north of the pit cut seemed to give the burial a formal arrangement.
The cist was aligned north-east/south-west and measured 1.4m in length. The capstone consisted of a large limestone slab, which had broken in two prior to the excavation. After removal of the contents, the capstone was replaced and the cist left in situ.
The excavation uncovered another cist, below the southern section face. The second cist appeared to be aligned north–south and seemed to be smaller than the cist with the crouched inhumation. It is possible that this cist is a child burial (as Wiggins found in his excavations) or perhaps a cremation burial. However, this cist was left undisturbed in situ.
Analysis of the skeletal remains from the cist and the disarticulated remains from the pit above the cist is ongoing at Queen’s University, Belfast. It is hoped that material from the excavation will be available for dating.