County: Down Site name: Ballycastle
Sites and Monuments Record No.: Adj. to DOW011:003 Licence number: AE/20/063
Author: Eoin M Halpin
Site type: Rath
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 754436m, N 871526m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.568446, -5.611619
The proposal related to an archaeological condition on a full planning permission for the erection of a single storey dwelling, access and associated services (LA06/2019/0291/F). The site was located adjacent to the substantially disturbed rath (DOW011:003), some 4km south-east of Newtownards in open countryside on the Ards peninsula. The most important aspect of this development was the possible uncovering of archaeology associated with the rath, located some 50m to the south-east of the proposed development, with the proposed new access laneway running closer to the projected line of the rath.
Five trenches were machine excavated on June 29 2020. Nothing of archaeological interest was noted in any of the four trenches excavated under the footprint of the proposed dwelling, garage and associated services.
However two features were noted in the trench which ran west from the area of the rath, along the line of the access laneway to the proposed new dwelling. The first consisted of a narrow band of stony dark yellow-brown clay loam which ran from north to south across the east-west line of the trench and is readily interpreted as plough-truncated remains of an earlier laneway which was recorded on the OS 1st edition map.
The second feature was noted at the extreme east end of the trench and consisted of a dark grey brown, soft, clay loam, extending into the trench by roughly 1.5m with the line of the break running north to south across the line of the trench. The deposit clearly extended further to the east, towards the site of the rath.
Overlaying the OS 1st edition map revealed the potential extent of the rath site DOW011-003. While the main body of the rath does not appear to extend as far as the proposed new access lane, it is possible that the likely external ditch of the rath did, and it is equally likely that this soft, charcoal-flecked deposit represents the upper, albeit disturbed, fills of this ditch.
A programme for the preservation in situ of these deposits was agreed with the relevant heritage authorities.
AHC Ltd, 36 Ballywillwill Road, Castlewellan, Co. Down BT31 9LF
