2011:160 - SAUL ROAD, DOWNPATRICK, Down

Test trenching was carried out in November 2010. Four trenches were excavated and fifteen archaeological features uncovered: three spreads, one circular feature and eleven linear features. The NIEA case officer requested further investigation of these features to determine whether they were archaeological in nature and to glean more information to make a determination on the Planning response.

Trench A
Trench A was 150m long and was located 10m west of the easternmost boundary of the site. It contained a single feature of interest, C4, originally designated as Feature 1. This was a linear feature, 34.16m from the northern end of the trench, which ran diagonally across the trench from the north-east to the south-west.

C4 measured a minimum of 12m x 1.05m x 0.17m. Only the north-western and south-eastern sides can be described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were smooth and steep and the base was flat. It contained an orange-brown, smooth, soft, clay silt containing infrequent flecks of charcoal and infrequent small, subrounded stones. Recovered from within the fill were two pieces of pottery that appear to date from between the 16th and 18th centuries; a third piece of undecorated white ceramic was recovered from the surface of the feature. This ditch contained post-medieval pottery, dating from the 17th or 18th century.

Trench B
Trench B, 15–20m east of Trench A, was 160m long and contained several features, originally designated as Features 2–7. There was a gully, C29, 11.6m from the northern end of the trench. Just to the south of this was a complex of features, the stratigraphically oldest of which were four stake-holes (C39, C41, C43 and C45) and a small pit (C31). Overlying C43 was a spread, C33, and overlying C39 and C45 was a shallow pit, C38, possibly a hearth, which cut C33. Beyond this dense area of features there were four linear features: 4.25m south of C41 was C26, 5.24m south of this was C8, 11.2m south of this was C24 and, finally, 5.86m south of this was C6. At the southernmost end of the trench, at the bottom of the hill on the edge of the marshy ground, was a spread of material which is most likely the western extent of a large burnt mound, C47.

C29 was a linear gully measuring a minimum of 2m x 0.75m x 0.06m and running north-east to south-west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were imperceptible all over, the sides were very gentle and smooth and the base was flat. It contained brown, gritty, loose, silty clay with occasional assorted small stones.

C26, 4.25m to the south of C41, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 1.8m x 1m x 0.12m and running east–west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were gradual all over, the sides were smooth and moderately steep and the base was flat. It contained a brown, gritty, loose, silty clay with infrequent large angular stones and occasional small subrounded stones.

C8, 5.24m to the south of C26, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 2.8m x 1m x 0.23m and running north-west to south-east. Only the north-eastern and south-western sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top was gradual all over, the break-of-slope base was imperceptible to the north-east and gradual to the south-west, the sides were smooth, with the north-eastern side gently sloping and the south-western side steep, and the base was flat. It contained a brown, gritty, loose, silty clay with infrequent large angular stones and occasional assorted small stones throughout.

C24, 11.2m to the south of C8, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 2.2m x 0.9m x 0.12m and running north-east to south-west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were gradual to imperceptible all over, the sides were smooth and very gently sloping and the base was irregular. It contained a brown, sticky, loose, silty clay with infrequent large angular stones and occasional small angular stones throughout.

C6, 5.86m to the south of C24, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 2.2m x 0.85m x 0.11m and running north-east to south-west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top was gradual all over, the northern break of slope was imperceptible and the southern was gradual, the sides were smooth and gently sloping, and the base was flat. It contained an orange-brown, gritty, loose, gravelly clay with occasional assorted small stones. This linear feature did not appear to run into Trenches A or C, though, as elsewhere, it was impossible to tell.

The complex of features 0.5m south of C29 are described in chronological order. On the western edge of Trench B was a small pit, C31, measuring 0.23m x 0.18m x 0.12m and aligned north–south. This feature was only half-sectioned, with the southern half removed. The break-of-slope top was sharp, the break-of-slope base was gradual, the sides were steep and smooth and the base was flat. It contained a black, smooth, moderately compact, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal.

Stake-hole C43, 0.32m to the east of C31, measured 0.07m in diameter x 0.07m deep. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were smooth and steep and the base was flat. It contained a dark brown to black smooth, loose, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal throughout.
Stake-hole C45, 0.64m to the east of C43, measured 0.06m in diameter x 0.07m deep. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were smooth and steep and the base was tapered. It contained F46, a dark brown to black smooth, loose, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal.

Stake-hole C39, 0.2m to the east of C45, measured 0.12m in diameter x 0.07m deep. The break-of-slope top was sharp, the break-of-slope base was gradual, the sides were smooth and steep to near-vertical and the base was tapered. It contained a dark brown to black smooth, loose, silty clay with frequent small flecks and lumps of charcoal.
Stake-hole C41, 0.2m to the south-east of C39, measured 0.1m in diameter x 0.08m deep. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were smooth and vertical and the base was tapered. It contained a dark brown to black, slightly gritty, loose, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal and occasional small angular stones.

Overlying stake-hole C43 was a spread of material, C33, measuring 0.7m in diameter x 0.12m. The break-of-slope top and base were gradual to imperceptible, the sides were smooth and gentle and the base was irregular. It contained a dark brown to black, smooth, loose, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal and occasional assorted small stones throughout.

Overlying stake-holes C39 and C45 and cutting the eastern edge of spread C33 was possible hearth C38, which measured a minimum of 0.85m x 0.7m x 0.06m and was aligned east–west. Only the southern and western sides were described, owing to the feature’s being half-sectioned and continuing out of the trench to the east. The break-of-slope top and base were imperceptible all over, the sides were very gentle and smooth and the base was flat. It contained F35, F36 and basal fill F37, a pinkish-red, smooth, loose, silty clay which was only partially excavated and measured 0.02m wide x 0.03m deep. Overlying F37 were two fills, F35 and F36, which were intermingled; it was impossible to determine which was older, suggesting simultaneous deposition. The main differential was the addition of charcoal in F36. F35, a light brown, gritty, loose, silty clay, contained infrequent small assorted stones. F36, a dark brown to black, smooth, loose silty clay, contained frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal and small fragments of burnt bone throughout. The subsoil beneath the fills was scorched, indicating burning in situ.

The southern extent of both Trenches B and C contained a spread of charcoal-rich soil. In Trench B it measured a minimum of 1.9m x 8.75m x 0.14m, whereas in Trench C it measured 1.9m across the trench x 8.8m. If they are part of the same feature, the spread would be a minimum of 16.6m long x 8.8m wide, aligned east–west. Two boxes were excavated through the spread in Trench B. The feature contained a single fill, a mottled dark grey-black, sticky, firm, silty clay with frequent flecks and lumps of charcoal and very frequent small to medium angular stones throughout. The stones were all of a regular size and appeared to have been affected by heat.

Trench C
Trench C, 15–20m east of Trench B, was 179m long and contained five features, originally designated as Features 8–12. There was a linear feature, C9, 15.58m from the northern end of the trench. Associated with this was a second linear feature, C11, although at this stage their direct relationship was not investigated. There was a third linear feature, C13, 18.9m south of C11. C15, a thin spread of material, was 66.5m south of C13. Finally, at the southernmost end of the trench, 46.5m south of C15, at the bottom of the hill on the edge of the marshy ground, was a spread of material which is most likely the western part of a large burnt mound, C47.

The northernmost feature, 15.58m from the start of the trench, was C9, a linear feature measuring a minimum of 1.9m x 0.85m x 0.28m and running east–west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were smooth and steep and the base was flat. This feature appeared to be a field drain. At its south-eastern end this linear feature interacted with C11, but this relationship was not investigated at this stage. It contained a brown, smooth, moderately compact, silty clay with frequent angular and subangular stones throughout. The fill yielded two pieces of pottery and a piece of glass, indicating a 19th–20th-century date.

C11 was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 4.8m x 1.44m x 0.19m and running north-east to south-west. Only the north-western and south-eastern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base on the north-west were gradual, the break-of-slope top and base on the south-east were gradual to imperceptible, the sides were gently sloping and smooth and the base was uneven. This very shallow linear feature did not appear to be a drain. At its north-eastern end it interacted with C9, but this relationship was not investigated at this stage. It contained a dark grey-brown, smooth, firm, silty clay with occasional medium-sized subangular stones throughout.

C13, 18.9m south of C11, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 1.9m x 0.89m x 0.09m and running east–west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were gentle all over except for the top of the southern side, which was sharp; the northern side was smooth and moderately steep, the southern side was smooth and steep and the base was flat. This may have been a drain, although its orientation and depth would suggest otherwise. It contained a dark grey-brown, smooth, firm, clay silt with occasional small to medium subangular to subrounded stones. Recovered from within the fill were three pieces of 19th–20th-century pottery.

C15, 66.5m south of C13, was a spread measuring a minimum of 7.84m x 1.9m x 0.03m and aligned north–south. This spread was not in a shallow depression but lay on top of the subsoil beneath the topsoil and so did not have a cut as such. The fill started out as patchy in the north, becoming more solid to the south. The spread was uncovered to the west of an outcrop/promontory in the field which was not test-trenched; it is possible that the spread relates to something on top of the outcrop. It contained a dark brown to black, friable, firm, sandy silt with frequent flecks and small pieces of charcoal and occasional small assorted stones and pebbles. No datable material was recovered apart from the charcoal.

Trench D
Trench D, 106m long, was situated 15–20m east of Trench C, approximately a third of the way down from the top of the field. It contained four features, three of which were originally designated as Features 13–15. There was a linear feature, C22, 56.64m from the northern end of the trench, with a second linear feature, C28, 2.46m further south; just 2m south of this again was C18, and close to the southern end of the trench, 9.49m south of C18, was a stone field drain, C20.

C22, 56.64m south of the northern limit of Trench D, was a linear feature measuring a minimum of 1m x 0.33m x 0.06m and running north-east to south-west. Only the north-western and south-eastern sides and the south-western terminus were described, owing to the continuation of the feature to the north-east of the trench. The break-of-slope top was sharp all over, the break-of-slope base was gradual all over, the sides were gently sloping, with the south-western terminus almost imperceptible, and the base was uneven. The terminus of the feature was within the trench, and the feature continued up the slope to the north-east. It contained a dark brown to near-black gritty, loose silt with occasional to frequent flecks of charcoal and occasional small, subrounded stones throughout.

C28, 2.46m south of C22, was a shallow linear feature measuring a minimum of 2m x 0.48m x 0.08m and running east–west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were gently sloping and smooth and the base was flat. This was not a drain, as the orientation and construction were wrong. It contained an orange-brown, smooth, soft, clay silt with infrequent flecks of charcoal and infrequent small, subrounded stones throughout.

C18, 2m south of C28, was a linear ditch measuring a minimum of 2m x 0.95m x 0.23m and running east–west. Only the northern and southern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were steep, with the northern side smooth and the southern side uneven, and the base was slightly concave. It was not a drain, owing to its orientation, and is more likely to be an early field boundary. It contained a light cream grey-orange, smooth, soft clay silt with infrequent flecks of charcoal and infrequent small subrounded stones throughout.

C20, 9.49m south of C18, was a linear feature, possibly a field drain, measuring a minimum of 10m x 0.85m x 0.3m and running north-east to south-west. Only the north-western and south-eastern sides were described, owing to the continuation of the feature through the trench. The break-of-slope top and base were sharp all over, the sides were steep and smooth, with the north-western side having been cut through bedrock, and the base was flat. It appears to continue down the hill towards the marshy area. It contained a dark orange-brown, smooth, loose clay silt with infrequent flecks of charcoal, occasional large subrounded stones and frequent small to medium-sized subrounded stones throughout. A piece of post-medieval glass was recovered from the surface of the feature.

Discussion
Of these potential archaeological features, four produced artefacts in the form of post-medieval pottery and one sherd of glass. In addition, one further feature produced burnt bone and charcoal, although owing to time constraints we were not able to identify its species at this stage or to date the stake-hole row below the spread from which the charcoal came.

The features that we could identify artefactually appear to date from the post-medieval period, probably the 17th and 18th centuries. The other features, which produced no easily identifiable or datable archaeological material, may be archaeological in nature but further investigation, such as extension of the trenches, soil-processing to recover charcoal and seeds followed by palaeobotanical investigation or radiocarbon dating, would be needed to be certain.

Two other areas—that in the northern end of Trench B and that in the southern part of Trench B and Trench C—produced much more definite archaeological evidence

The activity in the northern part of Trench B is interesting in its complexity, with several stake-holes underlying a spread of charcoal-rich, burnt, bone-flecked material. Lying 11.6m from the northern end of the trench was a gully, C29. Just to the south of this was a complex of features, the oldest of which stratigraphically were four stake-holes (C39, C41, C43 and C45) and a small pit (C31). Overlying C43 was a spread (C33), and overlying C39 and C45 was a shallow pit, possibly a hearth (C38), which cut C33. Features such as this are indicative of prehistoric activity, probably dating from the Bronze Age or Iron Age, or the Early Christian period. If pressed, I would say that this may be the remains of a structure, though confirmation by extension of the trench around would be necessary. It is especially interesting given the burnt mound material uncovered in Trenches B and C (C47 and F48) at the bottom of the hill on the northern edge of the marshy area. Burnt mounds are largely dated to the Bronze Age and are notorious for their lack of artefactual material, the dates being often only derived from radiocarbon dating, or occasionally dendrochronological dating of the wooden remains of the submound trough.

It was not possible to state with any degree of certainty whether the remaining features were archaeological or not, given the limited investigation.

Once the preliminary investigation was completed, it was agreed by the Area Archaeologist to protect the features using building fabric, prior to reburial and refilling of the test trenches.

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