County: Tyrone Site name: Cravenny Scotch, areas 19 and 20
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/08/77
Author: Frank Mallon, for ADS Ltd, Unit 6, 21 Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE.
Site type: Ring-ditch, pits and post-holes, corn-drying kiln, stake-holes and charcoal spreads
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 664838m, N 857410m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.461045, -6.999965
Areas 19 and 20 are located between Chainages 2110 and 2700 and were investigated as part of the proposed corridor improvements of the line of the A4 between Dungannon and Ballygawley where 15km of new road will be constructed. A total of 43 SMR sites lie within 500m of either side of the new road alignments. In general these sites date to the Early Christian period, with many raths, enclosures and a number of ecclesiastical sites represented. However, prehistoric activity, both settlement and ritual, is poorly represented.
Area 19 was located between Chainages 2110 and 2280 and covered an area measuring 170m by 40m. A total of 26 archaeological features were excavated. Among the main features identified was a circular ring-ditch consisting of a shallow ditch, U-shaped in profile, which measured 0.25m wide, 0.09m in depth and had an internal diameter of 10m. It was located on top of the hill at the southern limit of excavation. Two flint tools were located within the fill of this ditch: two sickle-shaped flint blades or scrapers. Within the ring-ditch four possible post-holes were located, one of which produced one sherd of coarseware pottery of probable Bronze Age date. A cremation pit contained large fragments of charcoal and a small amount of burnt bone and was contained within a shallow circular pit measuring 0.31m in diameter and 0.09m in depth. At the northern limit of the excavation on top of the hill was a group of two post-holes, five stake-holes and two pits (one of which contained a small amount of burnt bones and occasional occurrences of charcoal).
Area 20 was located between Chainages 2540 and 2700 and covered an area measuring 160m by 40m. The main features identified were a keyhole-shaped corn-drying kiln measuring 2.35m long by 1.4m wide and 0.6m in depth, discovered towards the eastern limit of the excavation. It was filled with a charcoal- and ash-rich deposit with occasional occurrences of burnt stone. Two small stake-holes, one measuring 0.19m in diameter and 0.09m in depth and one measuring 0.08m by 0.24m in depth, and three charcoal spreads, all oval in plan, with none measuring more than 1m in length or deeper than 0.25m, were also found.
