2010:215 - KILLEAGH: The Manse, 10 Seaside Road, Down

Excavation was carried out between 25 February and 5 March 2010 in advance of the development of lands at No. 10 Seaside Road, Killyleagh, Co. Down. The proposed development will comprise two two-storey dwellings, garages and associated groundworks on a subrectangular plot measuring approximately 55–70m north-west to south-east by 45–50m wide.

Testing on the proposed development site during 2009 (Excavations 2009, No. 265) had revealed potential archaeological deposits in four of the six trenches. These consisted of gravels which were interpreted as raised beach material, albeit possibly redeposited, as a number of flint tools were recovered.

The flints were examined by Professor Peter Woodman who confirmed that the small blades uncovered were probably early Mesolithic and that the larger blades could well be from the first half of the later Mesolithic. He also noted that the earlier material was fresh, suggesting that it may not have moved very far, while the later material seems more water-rolled, suggesting it had been subjected to erosion by the sea.

Given the possibility that archaeological features of Mesolithic date might still survive in situ, both within and underneath these beach deposits, further investigation of the site was recommended in the form of topsoil-stripping and gradual mechanical reduction of the raised beach deposits.

In the course of stripping, it was confirmed that these deposits were redeposited and part of a modern artificial ground levelling consisting of several layers of gravel, which coincidently contained a number of Mesolithic flint tools. The origin of the gravel is unclear but is likely to be local, and it had been spread across the site in the 1930s to facilitate the construction of a tennis court.

Below the gravel, two deposits with larger concentrations of partially worked flint dating to the Mesolithic period were discovered in the northern part of the investigated area. No associated archaeological features were uncovered during the following investigation of these two areas. Although it is possible that the flint concentrations were the sole surviving remains of a settlement site in the area of the proposed development, it seems more likely that they were associated with the gravel which was imported from a source presumably nearby.