2011:003 - BALLYCARRY SOUTH-WEST, Antrim

Further investigation was carried out within the scheduled area at Ballycarry, Co. Antrim, during the summer of 2011. The area was scheduled, as aerial photographs taken of the site in the 1960s appear to show the site of a large enclosure (some 300m in diameter). It was thought that this enclosure might be related to the medieval church of Templecorran, which is located towards the northern end of the monument, and previous excavation also showed the presence of Neolithic activity in the area (Crothers 2000). Recent investigation by Emily Murray has also uncovered a probable 17th-century fort within the scheduled area (Murray 2010 and Excavations 2010, no. 5, AE/10/30), highlighting the potential for archaeological remains within this monument. The purpose of the excavation was to assess the presence and survival of archaeological strata associated with the scheduled enclosure.

Twenty evaluative trenches were excavated around the perimeter of the scheduled boundary, as well as in the interior of the ‘enclosure’. A total of 950m² was investigated and three areas of archaeological potential were identified. The excavation of the trenches continued to the subsoil or bedrock level, apart from where intact archaeological horizons were encountered.

Numerous features of archaeological potential, including shallow ditches/gullies and spreads of burnt material, were encountered directly opposite the ruins of Templecorran Church. Artefacts recovered during the evaluation of these features suggest activity in both the prehistoric (possibly Neolithic) and medieval (principally the 13th/14th-century) periods.

A potentially interesting feature was encountered at the north-western side of the excavation area. Upon removal of the topsoil a mass of loose boulders was observed, as well as what appeared to be a narrow ditch excavated into the bedrock. A trench was excavated to the south of these boulders to see whether they or the ditch continued in this area, but a steeply sloping shelf of bedrock was encountered. This suggests that an existing shelf of bedrock was augmented with the boulders, which may have been excavated from the rock-cut ditch. It is possible that this feature represents a burial cairn of possible Bronze Age date, although this identification is purely speculative at this stage.

Further archaeological features were encountered in the south of the scheduled area, where two trenches were located. In both trenches a spread of clay and small rounded stones was encountered, presumed to be the same feature. Artefacts recovered from the cleaning of the stone and clay spread suggest that this feature dates from the Neolithic period, with two hollow scrapers, a fine end scraper and sherds of undiagnostic plain coarseware pottery being recovered.

It should be noted, however, that none of these areas of archaeological potential are associated with the curvilinear bank that constitutes the boundary of the scheduled area. The trenches that directly investigated this boundary failed to show anything to suggest a date earlier than the 18th century. The results of the excavation showed there to be distinct areas of archaeological potential within the boundary of the scheduled enclosure, although the current upstanding bank is unlikely to be of any great antiquity.

References

Crothers, N.  2000  Rescue excavations at Templecorran, Ballycarry, County Antrim. Ulster Journal of Archaeology 59, 29–46.

Murray, E.  2010  Summary report on the 2009–10 archaeological evaluation of a post-medieval fort at Ballycarry South-West, County Antrim. Unpublished report submitted to NIEA.

Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN