County: Fermanagh Site name: St Mary's Primary School, Arney Rd, Bellanaleck
Sites and Monuments Record No.: FER 229:032 Licence number: AE/18/72
Author: Chris Long, Gahan & Long
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 621334m, N 837843m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.288925, -7.672322
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken prior to the proposed construction of a full size sports pitch and associated facilities on lands behind St Nary's Primary School, Arney Road, Bellanaleck. FER 229:032, described as an enclosure on the SMR records, is located on the north-eastern boundary of the site. It is shown as a semi-circular "Fort" on the 1835 OS 6"map.
The evaluation consisted of the excavation of four test trenches in the north-east corner of the site in order to identify the possible remains of a rath ditch. The test trenches were excavated using a back-acting machine fitted with a toothless bucket.
The depths of the trenches varied slightly across the site depending on the depth at which subsoil could be reached, between 0.3m and 0.45m. The sod layer had been removed across the north-east corner of the field prior to the site visit. There was a small amount of residual topsoil covering the area c. 0.01 – 0.05m in depth. This overlay a sticky grey clay which overlay a light grey/blue mid orange clay banded subsoil.
No archaeological deposits were identified during the course of the evaluation.
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