2009:234 - ROSELAWN CEMETERY, CASTLEREAGH, BELFAST, Down

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Down Site name: ROSELAWN CEMETERY, CASTLEREAGH, BELFAST

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/08/220

Author: Frank Mallon and Warren Bailie, c/o ADS Ltd, Unit 6, 21 Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE

Site type: Bronze Age

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 738190m, N 870329m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.562402, -5.863210

This site incorporates five fields which are to form an extension to the Roselawn Crematorium and cemetery complex, Castlereagh, Belfast. There are fourteen archaeological sites within a 1.5km radius of the proposed development, the closest of which are a barrow (DOW009–007) located c. 370m from the north-west corner and an enclosure (DOW009–010), located c. 500m to the south-east.
Evaluation was carried out on 4–6 February 2009 via a series of sixteen test-trenches. The archaeology uncovered consisted of three isolated large pits and a (projected) 5.6m internal diameter circular structure containing four sherds of possible Bronze Age pottery, with two associated post-holes on the outer periphery. The circular structure lay on an area of high ground situated c. 130m above sea-level, a site which would have been both conspicuous and commanded views across the lower ground to the east and south of the area. Possible interpretations of this feature are a ring-barrow which would originally have enclosed a low mound containing cremations, or part of a wall-slot for a circular Bronze Age house structure with the outer post-holes representing additional structural support. Approximately two-thirds of the ditch exists beyond the baulk of the test-trench. Without further topsoil-stripping the full extent and nature of this feature cannot be confirmed.
The trenches also revealed extensive agricultural drainage features filled with quarried stone and containing predominantly 19th-century blackware, creamware and Delft pottery. There were also two boundary ditches, which were matched to corresponding boundaries on the cartographic sources of the second-edition (1860) and fourth-edition (1938) OS maps.