2016:757 - 90m west of 17A Hillside Road, Magheraknock, Ballynahinch, Down

An archaeological evaluation was conducted ahead of the proposal to construct a replacement dwelling and associated garage 90m west of 17A Hillside Road, Ballynahinch, Co. Down. This consisted of the excavation of 7 test trenches across the site using a back-acting machine fitted with a toothless bucket. The evaluation identified the extent of the ditch of an enclosure, DOW 22:18, within the red line boundary for the site. This was restricted to the north-east corner of the development. The identified remains were not excavated, but their position within Trench 2 and was recorded.
Trench 2 was located in the north-eastern corner of the development site, over the potential location of DOW 22:18. It was 33m in length, and 2m wide. The uppermost layer consisted of a light brown silty loam topsoil, which varied in depth throughout the trench from 0.35m to 0.45m. This topsoil was removed onto the naturally occurring subsoil, an orange-grey clay. The ditch of the enclosure was identified approximately 21m from the western extent of the trench. As exposed the ditch is approximately 2m in width. The outer edge of the ditch cut is clipped by a field drain running north-east/south-west through the trench. The uppermost fill of the ditch is a grey-brown silty loam.
Trench 4 was located 10m to the south of Trench 2, extending parallel to it, over the potential location of DOW 22:18. It was 15m in length, and 2m wide. The uppermost layer consisted of a light brown silty loam topsoil, which varied in depth throughout the trench from 0.35m to 0.45m. This topsoil was removed onto the naturally occurring subsoil, an orange-grey clay. The ditch of the enclosure survives as a cut, located 2m from the western extent of this trench. As exposed the ditch is approximately 2m in width. The uppermost fill of the ditch is a grey-brown silty loam. Like in Trench 2, the inner edge was much more definable, the outer edge being more mottled.
No further archaeological deposits were identified within the remaining trenches.