2014:170 - Ballyreagh Lower, Antrim

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Antrim Site name: Ballyreagh Lower

Sites and Monuments Record No.: ANT: 009:015 Licence number: AE/14/45

Author: Wes Forsythe

Site type: Salt works

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 716088m, N 942337m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.214586, -6.175777

The site was previously identified as the likely location of a 17th-century salt-making site, and was tested by excavation in 2012 (Licence no. AE/12/116). This test work revealed the corner of a wall as well as deposits of coal, bone and slag. The site is marked as early as the mid-17th century, appearing on the Down Survey maps c. 1657 (Molesworth 1657; PRONI D597/1/14).

The works began by reopening the test trench from 2012 and expanding this seawards. This revealed a square room with door in the north-east corner, the structure measuring internally 3.42m north-east/south-west (4.65m externally) by 3.5m (4.84m externally). The earliest phase detected consisted of roughly rounded beach stones, onto which material had been introduced on site to level the ground in preparation for the building; this contained shell, bone, flint (some burnt), and a metal object and slag. The upper surface of this layer featured a series of small pits containing bone, coal, ash, slag and a broken gunflint. Above this was a coal-rich deposit containing animal bone and teeth, slag or cinder, shell and a fragment of the bowl of a clay pipe. This context is considered the main occupation surface of the building and clearly indicated the presence of unburnt coal as well as discarded meals. The interior of the building above the main working surface was filled with rubble from the surrounding walls. Toward the top of this deposit two sherds of blackware (or black-glazed redware), a copper-alloy button and glass sherds were recovered.

No structures relating to the manufacture of salt (through the evaporation of seawater) were detected within the room, however it was clear that the wall extended beyond the room to the west and test excavation outside the south wall revealed flagstones indicating that the complex likely extends in this direction. As it stands, the poorly constructed masonry room likely functioned as a fore-house or fuel store for the salt works.

Centre for Maritime Archaeology, Ulster University