2014:191 - MOUNT SANDEL, Derry
County: Derry
Site name: MOUNT SANDEL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A
Licence number: AE/14/162
Author: Peter C Woodman
Author/Organisation Address: Department of Archaeology, University College, Cork
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Mesolithic (8000 BC-4001 BC)
ITM: E 685282m, N 930756m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.116845, -6.663177
On 13 October 2014 monitoring of a fence replacement took place at Mount Sandel Co. Derry. This took place along the northern edge of the scheduled Mesolithic Site at Mount Sandel. Monitoring was necessitated as the new fence required the digging of 15 new post-holes along a strip which was 27m in length at a location which was adjacent to the northern edge of the 1970’s excavation.
During work on the fence the topsoil removed from each post-hole was examined and while a small number of weathered flint flakes were recovered only one fresh burnt blade fragment was noted. This would be typical of the topsoil in any of the fields adjacent to the Mesolithic site. Therefore, neither fresh material from in situ contexts nor any specific concentration of artefacts was observed. Similarly no traces of extant features of potential Mesolithic date were noted.