2018:029 - GLASDRUMMAN: Saintfield United Football Club, Down

The development site was subjected to a scheme of metal detecting and test trenching. The purpose of the metal detecting exercise was to establish whether there was any evidence for the 1798 Battle of Saintfield. While battlefields, and especially skirmishes, can be difficult to accurately place it was hoped that a metal detecting survey might yield finds of shot or musket balls.

As per the mitigation approved by HED, the southern area of the site was metal detected with possible finds spots being excavated by the monitoring archaeologist in advance of trenching. While several dozen potential find spots were examined no material relating to the battle was identified, neither did the excavation of these find spots produce any other non-metallic artefacts. The material uncovered was of a predominantly modern refuse nature, almost entirely comprising of discarded drinks cans, ring pulls, and bottle tops. Occasional twists of barbed wire or rusted fragments of modern machinery and tools were also found.

After metal detecting a further five test trenches were mechanically excavated across the scheme, as per the mitigation approved by HED within the Archaeological Programme of Works. All trenches contained 0.3–0.5m of topsoil onto stony grey-red sandy clay glacial till. No archaeological features were found in any of the trenches.