2014:436 - TEMPLEPATRICK: Lyle Hill Road, Antrim

In Areas 1 and 2 the remains of a hearth was uncovered as well as two cremations and an associated pit. The hearth was undated, the cremations were dated to 155-975 Cal BC. A fragment of polished stone axe and a flint scraper were recovered.

In Area 3 part of the passageway belonging to a souterrain was uncovered, as well as several spreads containing souterrain ware pottery and the remains of a stone-built road. The souterrain was previously recorded in the 1838 Ordnance Survey Memoirs where it was recorded as: “…an artificial cove excavated in a soft decomposed rock of basalt. Its mouth, which is 4 feet 6 inches wide by 2 feet high, is in the face of the rock in a trifling hollow. From it the cove extends southwest for 27 feet, gradually increasing to 7 feet in width and to 4 feet 9 inches in height. At its south western extremity it strikes off at a right angle for 7 feet to the northwest. This chamber is at first only 2 feet 4 inches wide and 4 feet high, but it gradually widens to 5 feet. This seems to be the total extent of the cove. Its roof is elliptical but both it and its sides are rudely cut…” (Day, McWilliams and English, 1996, 130). From the description of the location and the size of the souterrain it was initially clear that the section that had been entered by those compiling the OS Memoirs lay predominantly within the area of the flood protection zone. The monitoring and subsequent excavation clearly revealed the remains of a passage extending onto the site at the believed location of the souterrain, so it is now possible to state that when those compiling the OS Memoirs entered the souterrain part of it had already collapsed or been deliberately backfilled. Given that the whole of the structure appears to have been tunnelled into the soft, and rather unstable, decaying basalt, a collapse is unsurprising. The description in the Memoirs places the passage at 8.22m long with the entrance being 1.4m wide and 0.6m high, at its end the passage has expanded to 2.13m wide and 1.49m high. The chamber located at the end of the passage measured 2.13m long and 1.21m high, the width changed from 0.73m at the join with the main passage to 1.52m towards the rear.

The excavation allows us to provide a fuller and more accurate description of the souterrain as well as helping to provide a greater understanding of its function. Instead of 8.22m long the total length of the souterrain was approximately 18m. Clearly it was at its widest at the point where it was joined by the chamber as it then narrowed again, being 1.6m at its widest excavated point. Similarly the height of the passage also appears to have been at its greatest at the point where it connected with the chamber, with 0.8m being the greatest depth (height?) recorded. It is also clear that the chamber was not present at the end of the passage but rather was located about mid-way along the passage. The excavated section of the souterrain was cut into the decaying basalt, exactly as described in the OS Memoirs, but whether this was done by human or natural means or even a mixture of both is one of the items raised within the SMR file for the site in the NIEA Sites and Monuments Record (ANT051-052). Without seeing the section of the souterrain that was recorded by the Ordnance Survey it is difficult to make a precise judgement on its construction but its shape and size would probably suggest that this souterrain was created by a mixture of natural and human means. Given the amount of linear channels that were evident across the site during test trenching and topsoil stripping it is clear that the site is heavily scarred by water run-off. It is probable that the souterrain was originally caused by water running down through a fissure in the rock and creating a passage, which was then presumably widened where necessary and a separate chamber added, by people looking to create a souterrain.

The road appears to be a small section of a road that survived and is nearly identical to a description of an ancient road in the Templepatrick area that was described in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1838; “Its formation also is rather curious. In the centre of the road there is a double row of very large and closely laid flat stones. On each side of this is a strip of pavement of about 3 feet wide of much smaller stones, which are pretty carefully laid. These are secured by a single row of very large and closely laid stones running along the edge of the road, the extreme breadth of which is 9 feet.” (Day et al. 1996: 131) The only difference between the description given in the Memoirs and the excavated remains is that instead of a double row of stones forming the spine the excavated road only had a single row. The road being described in the Memoirs is one of two ‘…very ancient roads…’ which was known as the ‘Priest’s Causeway’ (Day et al. 1996: 130). The Priest’s Causeway is said to have run in a circuitous route from Rickamore townland (west of the site) to the church in Umgall townland (south of the site) and was used by a priest, who also tended the church in Templepatrick (Day et al., 1996: 130-131). Even at the time that the Ordnance Survey Memoirs were collated in 1838 the road was all but broken up and only survived as small sections along its length (Day et al., 1996: 130).

Reference
Day, A., McWilliams, P. and English, L. (eds) (1996) Ordnance Survey Memoirs.