Arrie, North Kessock

Highland Archaeology Services Ltd

Bringing the Past and Future Together

Archaeological Watching Brief

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Arrie North Kessock Archaeological Watching Brief

December 2015

Arrie, North Kessock
Archaeological Watching Brief

Report No. Site Code Client

HAS160201

HAS_ANK15 Graeme Stewart

Planning Ref OS Grid Ref Date/ revision Author

14/02009/FUL NH 6797 5133

01/02/2015 Lynne McKeggie

Summary

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken following a walkover survey and trial trenching in order to identify and record archaeological features within the development area of a new house. 19 features were found, of which 13 are considered to be archaeological. These include a field drain, 5 pits, 6 post-holes and a shallow ditch. One saddle quern was recovered but no other artefacts. All features were excavated by hand and recorded. No further work is recommended for this site.

Acknowledgements and Copyright

The fieldwork was undertaken by Pete Higgins. The report was written by Lynne McKeggie, including material from Pete Higgins and Lachlan McKeggie, and edited and formatted by John Wood. Background mapping has been reproduced by permission of the Ordnance Survey under Licence 100043217. Historic maps are courtesy of the National Library of Scotland.

The report’s author(s) and Highland Archaeology Services Ltd jointly retain copyright in all reports produced but will allow the client and other recipients to make the report available for reference and research (but not commercial) purposes, either on paper, or electronically, without additional charge, provided this copyright is acknowledged.

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Contents

Summary........................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Location ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Aims and Objectives......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Legislation and Policy....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Background....................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Method: Controlled Watching Brief ................................................................................................................................ 9 Results............................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Discussion & Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................. 21

Drawings.........................................................................................................................................................21 Tables..............................................................................................................................................................23 Selected Photos...............................................................................................................................................26

Illustrations

Figure 1 Project location (general) ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2: Proposed Site Location (as initially supplied by client)......................................................................................... 5 Figure 3 Features in trial trenches - northern part of the site. Extent of fill of burn is hatched........................................... 8 Figure 4 Features in trial trenches - southern part of the site................................................................................................ 8 Figure 5: Feature 1 section, Drg 6 ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 6 Location of Features............................................................................................................................................. 10 Figure 7: Plans of Features 1-3, Drg 1................................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 9: Section of Feature 3a, Drg 4................................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 10: Feature 3b section, Drg 5 ................................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 11: Feature 5 section, Drg 8 ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 13: Section Feature 7, Drg 11................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 12: Section Feature 6, Drg 9..................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 14: Plan Features in SE of trench, Drg 20&22......................................................................................................... 15 Figure 15: Plans of Features 8-13, 15 & 16, Drgs 19 and 21 .............................................................................................. 16 Figure 15: Section Feature 9, Drg 12................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 17: Section Feature 11, Drg 13................................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 18: Section Features 15 and 16, Drg 16 ................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 19: Feature 18 section, Drg 17 ................................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 20: Feature 19 modern pipeline................................................................................................................................ 20 Figure 21: Plan Feature 4, Drg 2.......................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 22: Feature 4 section, Drg 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 23: Feature 12 section, Drg 14 ................................................................................................................................. 22 Figure 24: Feature 13 section, Drg 15 ................................................................................................................................. 22 Figure 25: Feature 18 section b, Drg 18 .............................................................................................................................. 22 Figure 26: Camera points plan............................................................................................................................................. 25

Plate 1: Feature 3a post-ex [ANK15_072]........................................................................................................................... 12 Plate 2: Feature 4 post-ex [ANK15_067] ............................................................................................................................ 13 Plate 3: Post-ex Feature 6 [ANK15_100] ............................................................................................................................ 15 Plate 4: Pre-ex Feature 9 with quern [ANK15_117] ........................................................................................................... 17 Plate 5: Post-ex Feature 12 [ANK15_130] .......................................................................................................................... 17 Plate 6: Post-ex view of Feature 13 [ANK15_135]............................................................................................................. 18 Plate 7: Feature 17 pre-excavation [ANK15_120] .............................................................................................................. 19 Plate 8: Feature 18 pre-excavation [ANK15_121] .............................................................................................................. 19 Plate 9: Showing Features F1, 2 and 3 pre excavation (ANK15_41).................................................................................. 26 Plate 10: Feature 5 post excavation (ANK15_97) ............................................................................................................... 26 Plate 11: Feature 7 Post excavation (AKN15_124)............................................................................................................. 27 Plate 12: Feature 11 Post excavation (AKN15_129)........................................................................................................... 27 Plate 13: Feature 15 and 16 post excavation (AKN15_138) ............................................................................................... 28 Plate 14: Feature 19 showing modern pipe (ANK15_141) ................................................................................................. 28

Cover photograph: general view of the site before excavation ANK15_12

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Location

The development is located at Arrie, south of Munlochy Bay, Highland, centred at approximate grid reference NH 6797 5133.

Figure 1 Project location (general)

From OS mapping. Reproduced under licence. Not to original scale.

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Figure 2: Proposed Site Location (as initially supplied by client)

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Aims and Objectives

The objectives of the work were to:

•

Examine and establish the nature and extent of any features of archaeological significance that would be affected by the proposed development, and to record these to professional standards, in line with current legislation and policy.

•

Minimise any possible delay or cost to the development by anticipating archaeological requirements as far as possible, timetabling and integrating archaeological recording work with the project, and dealing with any issues arising quickly and efficiently.

Legislation and Policy

The common principles underlying international conventions, national legislation and local authority planning policies are that cultural heritage assets should be identified in advance of development and safeguarded where practicable; if disturbance is unavoidable appropriate recording of features and recovery of portable artefacts should take place. These have been set out in international and European Union agreements, and UK and Scottish legislation, as well as national and local planning policies¹.

Professional standards during the present project have been secured by adherence to the Codes of Conduct and Approved Practice and Standards of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and the Highland

Council’s Standards for Archaeological Work.

Background

The site lies on the slope of rising ground along the south-eastern coast of the Black Isle, overlooking the Moray Firth. In the north of the site a sand school has been made by levelling some 1800 sq.m.. The southern, western and part of the northern sides are cut into the slope, while the north-eastern corner is slightly built up. Local information suggests spoil was taken off site. Most of the remainder of the site is a permanent ley, with mature scrub and trees along the borders.

The present archaeological fieldwork was carried out in response to a planning condition imposed by the Highland Council at the request of their Historic Environment Team.

The work has been undertaken in stages: (1) A desk-based assessment and walk-over survey²by Lynne McKeggie in 2014; (2) Trial trenching by Pete Higgins to identify and record any archaeological features or finds discovered during site clearance; and (3) the controlled watching brief on site stripping for the development.

The initial desk-based assessment identified eight cairns in the vicinity of the development, including one within the development area. Some of these have previously been identified as field clearance cairns, although this is not confirmed, and some at least might be burial cairns. The fact that some of these cairns appear on the 1st and later editions of the Ordnance Survey (OS) 1:2500 and 1:10560 scale mapping as being small areas of scrub within the fields indicates that they may be relatively undisturbed, as does the folklore noted in the Old Statistical Account that the cairns around Drumderfit are not disturbed by superstitious locals.

¹A summary of relevant international, EU, UK and Scottish legislation and policies is available from the HAS office on request.

²McKeggie, L and Wood, J, 2014, Arrie, N Kessock: Proposed Archaeological Fieldwork: Project design, Risk

Assessment and Method Statement Highland Archaeology Services Report No. HAS141106, Cromarty

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December 2015

There are also two scheduled sites nearby; a hut circle and an enclosure, although they are both labelled as hut circles on modern maps. These features certainly indicate prehistoric activity within the wider vicinity. Three farmsteads are also recorded on the HER which highlight the longstanding agricultural use of the area. This is further emphasised by the historic OS maps, which show these buildings, their fields and also a pair of wells at the north eastern end of the proposed development site.’

A walkover survey was then carried out by Lynne McKeggie. This recorded two features: a pit resembling a golf bunker (F1); and F2, the cairn within the development area. It was suggested on the basis of form and size that this might be a burial cairn.

As a result of the above work, a ‘no-build’ zone was delineated to protect F2 from disturbance. Peter Higgins then undertook trial trenching to establish the potential for buried archaeological remains. This took place on 8, 9 and 10 December 2014, in somewhat adverse weather conditions. The total excavated area amounted to 448sqm, a sample of 10.2%. Two land drains and eight undated post holes were recorded within 45m of a cairn on the southern edge of the development area:³

Small post holes. F803, F807, F903, F905, F1003, F1007

In view of their flat or concave bottoms, the lack of compaction of the base of their fills, and their size, these small features have been interpreted as postholes rather than stake holes. They were found in pairs, although given the restrictions of the trenches this may not be significant, and the pairs generally seem to be oriented NW-SE. Two pairs are associated with larger post holes; F803 and F805 with F807; and F1003 and F1007 with F1005. All three pairs lie more or less N/S.

Large post holes. F809 and F1005

These two features are larger than the small post holes, and although their sloping sides might indicate that they could be remnants of pits rather than post holes. F809 had a central depression and slight central soil colour change; and F1005 had a more definite central soil colour change, (1009); in both cases suggesting a post had been removed.

The basal fills, (810) and (1006), differed; the former appeared to be a derivative of the plough soil at an early point in its formation, while the latter had more the character of a primary fill derived from weathering of natural deposits, suggesting it had been open for some time before filling.

Feature F1803. This feature was irregular in plan and only a few centimetres deep. It was most likely the trace of a tree burnt in situ.

Land drains (104), (203), (809)

(104) and (203) are the same drain, running above the filled burn. A modern, plastic drain runs parallel. (809) is a distinct drain, and may have no connection with the former.

In view of the results of fieldwork to date, a controlled topsoil strip was then recommended in order to identify and record any further features within the footprint of the development.

³Higgins, P. 2015, Arrie, North Kessock Trial Trenching, Highland Archaeology Services report number HAS150103, Cromarty

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Figure 3 Features in trial trenches - northern part of the site. Extent of fill of burn is hatched.
Figure 4 Features in trial trenches - southern part of the site.

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Method: Controlled Watching Brief

Archaeological fieldwork was undertaken by Lachlan McKeggie between 3^rdNovember 2015 and 13^thJanuary 2016. Upon arrival it was noted that a new borrow pit had been opened since the previous work reported above. This was photographed and plotted in (see Figure 6). All further ground breaking works were then supervised by the archaeologist and all identified features were hand-excavated and recorded.

Site clearance took longer than expected, because (1) a small back-acting machine was used, fitted with a straight-edged ditching bucket; and spoil was removed from the site using a small dumper truck. An unexpectedly large number of features were found. These were located using a survey grade GPS device, supplemented by measured plans where a cluster of features was identified.

Results

Nineteen features were identified and recorded, of which 12 are likely to be archaeological. Feature 1 Drain or filled-in ditch running NNE-SSW in slight curve across the site. Filled with topsoil and stones. 1m wide. Widens at N end from 1.3m at S end to 2m at N. Clearly cuts Feature 3. Excavation revealed V shaped cut [101] with steep sides through natural. (102) single stone-rich fill mid-brown loose soil with many stones & some charcoal flecks. Consistency of cut and fill suggests it was probably originally cut using a ‘v’ shaped bucket on a mechanical digger.

Figure 5: Feature 1 section, Drg 6

Feature 2 Small circular patch of dark material, concluded upon excavation to be lens of Feature 3 and there was no cut.

Feature 3 Two patches of light grey/white powdery deposit with stones and patches of dark/black, some with charcoal flecks. This feature is cut by Feature 1 - forming 3a on the E side and 3b on the W. The grey fill is clean of charcoal and sterile of all cultural material while the patches of dark material are poorly defined. The whole feature is amorphous, so possibly a tree-throw with deposited material.

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Figure 6 Location of Features

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Figure 7: Plans of Features 1-3, Drg 1

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F3a – stone filled pit with two mixed fills cut into subsoil. (301) mid-brown very loose deposit with many stones and some charcoal flecks. (302) dark loose fill with many stones and charcoal, mainly in lower parts of the feature, sample <002>. Also contained blackened stones. [303] cut through subsoil with slight undulations and curved base. (304) a grey charcoal flecked fill on S edge possibly ash, sample <003>.

F3b – a shallow amorphous-shaped feature to NW of drain F1 with small stones scattered through and one large stone 60x60x40cm. (305) mixed brown & grey soft fill with roots and darker patches. (306) dark grey fill with charcoal flecks beneath (305), these seem to fade into each other, sample <004>. [307] gently sloping shallow cut of F3b with undulating base cut through browny-orange subsoil (Dr1 & Dr5)