2009:781 - BALLYNABWEE, Tyrone

Monitoring of topsoil-stripping took place across Phase 1 of a proposed sand and gravel quarry at Ballynabwee, Co. Tyrone. The monitoring was required as a condition of planning permission due to the site’s location in a highly sensitive archaeological landscape. Most relevant to the proposed development is the scheduled monument Ballynabwee Fort (TYR002–004), which is located just over 50m south-west of the proposed quarry. The entire development area, which consists of three separate phases, covers an area of c. 9ha. Phase 1 had an area of c. 2.2ha.
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping took place on 27 and 28 July and 14–21 August 2009. Significant archaeological remains were uncovered after removal of between 0.28m and 0.52m of topsoil. Full excavation was deemed the only possible mitigation strategy, since there was no possibility of preservation in situ within the realms of the development. Excavation commenced on 12 October 2009 for ten weeks. Three areas of archaeology were identified.
Area 1 was located at 45m above sea level and consisted of a large subcircular ditch with an internal diameter of 34–40m. The ditch is located in an unusual position for a rath, being draped across the edge of a hill overlooking the valley of the Burn Dennet River. Almost half of the area enclosed by the ditch is on a steep south-facing slope. An entrance consisting of a causeway measuring 5m wide was found in the north-east of the enclosure. The width of the ditch ranged from 2m to 4.4m and the depth varied from 0.9m to 1.6m. In general the northern and western parts of the ditch were narrower and shallower than the southern and eastern. The fills of the ditch consisted of substantial slumping along the edges due to the unstable nature of the gravels. There was a small amount of silting at the base and in general it was found that the fills on the north and west were more organic than those on the south and east, which were probably more susceptible to hillwash from the slope. The only finds uncovered from the ditch fills were fragments of animal bone and a broken saddle quern. A fragment of a decorated upper stone of a rotary quern was found during topsoil-stripping in close proximity to the ditch, although it could not be attributed to this context with any certainty.
A large oval-shaped storage pit within the enclosure measured 7.3m long, 3.6m wide and up to 1.2m deep. A spiral-ringed pin and a scroll-headed ring-pin were recovered from fills of the pit. A number of hearths and small pits and post-holes were uncovered within the enclosure, but there were no discernible structures surviving.
Bronze Age activity in Area 1 is represented by three ring-ditches, one of which was truncated by the enclosure ditch; the other two were enclosed by it. These measured 5m, 6m and 10m in diameter. There were no intact formal burial deposits, but some cremated bone was recovered from one of the ring-ditches. It is likely that the ring-ditches were disturbed by their incorporation into the later rath and burial deposits removed at this stage.
A number of occupation deposits encountered to the north-west of the enclosure yielded up to 196 sherds of pottery and a number of flint tools. The pottery has been preliminarily identified as Early Bronze Age.
Area 2 was located c. 30m west of Area 1 and consisted of a localised red humic deposit containing frequent charcoal flecks and covering an area measuring 12m north-east/south-west by 10m. The deposit overlay a grey leached layer and both had appeared to accumulate within the south-west-facing hollow. A hearth was cut through the upper deposit. The grey leached layer sealed a number of small features and contained a flint scraper.
Area 3 was located c. 20m south-west of Area 1 and was identified during monitoring by the presence of a similar red humic, charcoal-flecked deposit to that uncovered in Area 2 and in parts of Area 1. This time the deposit had accumulated in a sheltered south-facing hollow. In this location it had sealed an area of habitation or domestic activity indicated by a number of gullies or foundation trenches, numerous post-holes, stake-holes and hearths as well as a large storage pit. The entire area measured 28m east–west by 15m. A number of flint and quartz tools as well as pottery sherds were recovered from some of the features. One of the sherds was decorated and preliminarily identified as Beaker pottery.
The site was extensively sampled to provide dates and archaeobotanical information as well as to retrieve burnt bone and small finds, especially where no definitive primary dating evidence was uncovered such as in the enclosure ditch and the ring-ditches.