2009:041 - 36–42 TOBERWINE STREET, GLENARM (REAR OF), Antrim

An evaluation was carried out in December 2009 on the site of a proposed housing development within the lands to the rear of Nos 36–42 Toberwine Street, Glenarm, Co. Antrim. The proposed development consists of two semi-detached dwellings with associated gardens and parking as well as services. By the time the evaluation took place the groundworks associated with the development had already been completed. While no archaeological sites were known from the development area,+ twelve archaeological sites are known within a 1km radius, as well as+ 1129 artefacts+ recorded by the Ulster Museum. These range from Neolithic to Early Bronze axes (e.g. javelin points and barbed, tanged and hollow-based arrowheads), as well as a Bronze Age socket looped spearhead, an early medieval finger ring and stone spindle whorls.
A total of three evaluation trenches were excavated across the site. The observed archaeological deposits range from cut features of likely prehistoric date, such as the linear gullies, to post-medieval accumulation of garden soil material as well as post-medieval cut features.
Trench 1 was located in the eastern half of the site in front of the new dwellings and aligned roughly north–south. The trench measured 11.3m in length and 1.8m in width. Three archaeological features comprising two linear gullies+and+a post-medieval pit were uncovered. The first gully+ran roughly northwest/south-east and had a north-west terminal end visible within the evaluation trench. The exposed extent of the gully measured 2.1m in length, 0.45m in width and 0.16m deep, and was filled with firm mid-brown silty clay with occasional charcoal inclusions. Four pieces of struck flint were recovered from the fill. The flint assemblage comprised a large flint core and three rough flakes, possibly waste from flint knapping.+It was truncated along the western side of the trench by the second gully,+which ran across the trench roughly east–west. The exposed extent of this gully+measured 1.8m in length, 0.4m in width and 0.2m in depth. Its fill was very similar to the fill of the earlier gully and investigations found struck flint and six pieces of rough waste flakes contained within it.
In the southern end of the trench a pit, cutting into the earlier garden soil deposits, was encountered and partially exposed. The pit appeared oval in shape and the exposed extent measured 0.7m by 0.5m in plan and continued beyond the limit of excavation to the south. It was c. 0.3m deep with a regular concave base; its fill consisted of loose dark-blackish-grey sandy silt with frequent clinker and coal inclusions. Occasional sherds of post-medieval pottery, glass and small burnt stones were also present. Frequent animal bones, showing signs of butchery, were also noted. The pit has preliminarily been interpreted as a refuse pit and the waste contained in its fill appears largely domestic. The finds+would suggest that the pit was in use sometime during the last 200 hundred years. The pit, as well as the earlier accumulation of garden soil, was sealed with further accumulation of post-medieval garden soil deposits consisting of mid-to dark-greyish-brown sandy silt with moderate coal and charcoal inclusions. Post-medieval pottery, glass and fragments of ceramic building material were also present within the deposits.
Trench 2 was located to the east of and parallel to Trench 1 in the eastern end of the site and aligned roughly north–south. The trench measured 9.4m in length and 1.8m in width. Three features were uncovered in Trench 2. The+first was a shallow linear ditch+which ran roughly north-east/south-west across the trench. The exposed extent of the ditch measured 2.3m in length and 0.8m in width. A large rough unfinished piece of worked flint of possible Mesolithic date was recovered from the fill.+The ditch was cut by a partially exposed feature,+ a pit or a terminal end of a gully,+located on the western side of the trench. The exposed extent of the feature measured c. 0.5m by 0.3m and was filled by+a mid-brown silt clay with occasional charcoal inclusions. The feature continued beyond the limit of excavation to the west.
In addition, a large circular pit+measuring c. 1.8m in diameter was encountered in the northern end of the trench. The feature was not fully exposed within the trench and continued beyond the limit of excavation to the east. The upper fill of the feature consisted of stiff mid-brown silty clay with moderate charcoal inclusions. Several large stones, concentrated largely around the edges of the feature, were also noted within the fill. The presence of large stones may indicate that this represents the remains of a stone-lined feature, such as a well or a cesspit. Further investigations would be necessary to confirm this; however, after consultation with NIEA, it was decided that the feature would be preserved in situ at this stage as it is located in an area where no further groundworks associated with this development are planned.
Trench 3 was located in the back garden area behind the new building and aligned roughly north–south. The trench measured 10.3m by 1.6m. The natural deposits were sealed with an accumulation of post-medieval garden soil similar to the layer of garden soil previously encountered in Trenches 1 and 2. Remains of limestone foundations of an outbuilding which had been demolished during the development were encountered, c. 0.2m below the present ground level in the northern quarter of the trench.+In addition,+the profile of a small late post-medieval pit was noted in the west-facing section of the trench c. 5m north of the southern end. The fill of the pit, which consisted of dark-brown sandy silts with frequent charcoal and occasional oyster-shell inclusions, was very similar to the surrounding garden soil material and the pit was not apparent in plan. The pit was observed c. 0.4m below the present ground level and measured 0.4m in width and 0.3m in depth.