2008:1221 - Tullyvar, Area 4, Tyrone

Area 4 was located between Chainages 1400 and 1600 and was investigated as part of the A5 road realignment scheme running south from the current A4 to the immediate south-west of Ballygawley for 2.7km towards Aughnacloy. Whilst no officially recorded site lay along the actual corridor of the proposed alignment, NIEA felt that there was potential for unexpected archaeological deposits and features to be identified during the topsoil-strip and therefore a programme of monitoring was required.
The site measured c. 200m by 30m and was split into two sub-areas, Area 4a and Area 4b. Area 4a consisted of the remains of a subcircular structure located on a gentle north-facing slope with good views to the north-west. The subcircular structure was quite denuded; very little depth remained of the slots, stake- and post-holes which comprised the structure, and where it would have been expected to continue on its northern side there was no trace. This part of the site is quite heavily scarped.
The structure was composed of two curvilinear slot-trenches, with only a few metres of each surviving. The maximum diameter enclosed by the slots was c. 11m east–west. At the south-western end, the edge of the structure seems to be marked by a step cut out of the natural subsoil (or a gully). A large number of stake-holes were found just inside the south-western side of the structure. A shallow internal gully appeared to delineate the area of stake-holes and perhaps represents an internal wall. The stake-holes may be evidence of some internal ‘furniture’, for example a sleeping area. No evidence of a hearth or any floor surface was found. No artefacts were retrieved from the deposits; however, some burnt bone was found in a post-hole.
Located a short distance to the west of the structure was a linear ditch. It was aligned north-west/south-east, roughly the same alignment as the neighbouring extant field boundaries. It appears to have been a boundary of some kind, although it is not clear whether it was associated with the subcircular structure or related to the field boundaries. No artefacts were uncovered in the ditch fill.
Area 4b located just to the south-west of Area 4a consisted of a number of ephemeral features forming no definite representation of any particular activity. There were ten pits, three post-holes, eight stake-holes, a large curvilinear ditch and c. 38 features investigated, which turned out to be of no archaeological significance being either the result of tree-root activity or natural deposits filling hollows. The large curvilinear ditch was located around the edge of a slope but then veered off towards a field boundary which is still extant. Although no artefacts were recovered from the fills of the ditch, it is thought that it represents a post-medieval field boundary. The remainder of features excavated in Area 4b were a variety of post-holes, stake-holes and pits. Two of the pits contained a large quantity of fire-cracked stone intermixed with charcoal-stained deposits and probably represent pot boilers.