2011:027 - KILWAUGHTER QUARRY, DEMESNE, KILWAUGHTER (PHASE 3, 2011), Antrim

Phases 1 and 2 took place in 2009 and 2010, directed by Gavin Donaghy and Christina O’Regan respectively (Excavations 2009, no. 47, AE/09/116, and Excavations 2010, no. 39, AE/10/137).

Phase 3 contained three widely separated archaeological areas: Area 1 contained three pits, Area 2 contained two pits that may have been hearths and Area 3 contained a curving gully and a pit. The pottery and flint recovered indicate that these features dated from the middle Neolithic.

Area 1 contained three pits. Given the proximity of pits C7 and C11 and the artefacts recovered from within them, it is likely that these are 19th- or 20th-century features, possibly associated with the surrounding farming landscape. It is also possible that they are associated with Kilwaughter Castle, which is only approximately 175m to the north-east. Pit C3 contained a few pieces of worked flint, which proved to be middle Neolithic in date.

Area 2 contained two pits which have been interpreted as hearths. One was small and shallow. The other was a large pit containing a large amount of flint,also dating from the middle Neolithic.

Area 3 contained a gully (C13) and a pit (C17), both situated on the edge of the stripped area. Although it is difficult to interpret these features, it is possible that they represent the corner of a structure and that the rest of it is still present under the topsoil, which remains undisturbed to the north-west of the site. Again, the flint dates this feature to the middle Neolithic.

The features uncovered during this phase of the quarry add to our knowledge of the site as a whole, extending the area of interest and use during the prehistoric period, following the middle Neolithic activity previously identified within Phase 1 of the archaeological work.

The archaeological material encountered over three seasons of excavation at Kilwaughter Quarry has demonstrated transient prehistoric activity in this area from the middle Neolithic through to the late Bronze Age. No permanent camp or dwelling has been found in the large area examined, which suggests that the exposure of the site was not conducive to long-term settlement, and indeed that all activity was based around short-term industrial work in relation to flint-knapping or the preparation of flint for use in pottery manufacture, a fact that is not surprising given the plentiful and easily accessible flint nodules that litter the upper layers of topsoil in this area.

Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, Farset Enterprise Park, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast BT12 7DY