CFA ARCHAEOLOGY LTD August 2005 Commissioned by The Highland Council, Transport, Environmental and Community Services This document has been prepared in accordance with CFA standard operating procedures. Author: Date Approved by: Date Draft/Final Report Stage: FINAL Author: Samantha Badger MA FSA Scot AIFA Illustrator: Karen Clarke BA MA MSc Editor: Melanie Johnson MA PhD FSA Scot AIFA CFA ARCHAEOLOGY LTD The Old Engine House Eskmills Business Park Musselburgh EH21 7PQ Tel: 0131-273 4380 Fax: 0131-273 4381 email: [email protected] A832 Achnasheen to Kinlochewe Road Upgrade Phase 3: Glen Docherty Viewpoint to Kinlochewe Archaeological Recording and Excavations Data Structure Report Report no. 1091 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 4 2. Archaeological Background 6 3. Programme of archaeological mitigation works 12 4. Methods Statement 14 5. Site 36 – Field Wall 16 6. Site 52 – Possible Levee and Scoops 18 7. Site 53 – Iron Working 21 8. Site 55 – Track and Wall 22 9. Site 57 – Enclosures 23 10. Site 59 – Field Bank 26 11. Site 63 – Building 27 12. Site 66 – Field Bank 29 13. Site 67 – Field Wall 30 14. Site 68 – Field Wall 31 15. Site 76 – Field Bank 33 16. Site 82 – Kiln and Hollow 35 17. Site 86 – Iron Working 40 18. Site B2 – Field Bank 41 19. Conclusions 42 20. References 43 Appendices 1. Context list 44 2. Photographic register 46 3. Finds Quantification 50 4. Samples register 51 5. Field drawings register 52 6. Written Scheme of Investigation 53 A832/1091/0 Page 2 CFA Figures Fig. 1 Location maps, showing extent of phase 3 of the road scheme 5 Fig. 2 Sections of Sites 36, 55 and B2 17 Fig. 3 Section and plan of Site 52 and section through Scoop 2 20 Fig. 4 Sections in trenches 1 and 2, Site 57, and Site 59 25 Fig. 5 Plan and section through Site 63 28 Fig. 6 Sections through Sites 66, 67 and 68 32 Fig. 7 Sections through Site 76 34 Fig. 8 Section through kiln Site 82 and profile of kiln Site 82 37 Fig. 9 Section through hollow, Site 82 38 Fig. 10 Section through hollow Site 82 and plan of Site 82 39 Fig. 11 Plan of area showing location of sites (Bound at rear) Plates (bound at rear) Plate 1 Site 36, west facing section Plate 2 Site 37, track taken from northwest Plate 3 Site 52, pre-excavation view of scoop 2 Plate 4 Site 52, post-excavation view of scoop 2 Plate 5 Site 55, view of track from SSE Plate 6 Site 55, north facing section through bank Plate 7 Site 57, trench 1, south facing section Plate 8 Site 57, trench 2, east facing section Plate 9 Site 59, north facing section Plate 10 Site 62, track taken from side of existing A832, facing NNW Plate11 Site 63, view of site, post-excavation, from the NNW Plate 12 Site 63, upstanding gable end from the NNW Plate 13 Site 63, gable end from the SSE Plate 14 Site 63, gable end from the ENE Plate 15 Site 63, section showing building wall Plate 16 Site 64, track from SSE Plate 17 Site 66, north facing section of bank Plate 18 Site 67, south facing section Plate 19 Site 68, southwest facing section Plate 20 Site 74, track from the east Plate 21 Site 76, north facing section, east end showing old ground surface Plate 22 Site 76, north facing section, west end showing old ground surface Plate 23 Site 82, pre-excavation view of hollow Plate 24 Site 82, kiln after rubble removed, showing stone walls of kiln Plate 25 Site 83, Kinlochewe Lodge wall, east end Plate 26 Site 83, Kinlochewe Lodge wall, central section Plate 27 Site 86, possible bloomery mound, ranging rod marking the apex Plate 28 Site B1, old road alignment, now a farm track Plate 29 Site B1, Old road alignment, defined by remains of a wall to the east side Plate 30 Site B2, east facing section of bank Plate 31 Site 84, Kinlochewe Bridge A832/1091/0 Page 3 CFA 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 General 1.1.1 This report presents the results of a programme of archaeological excavation and recording carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) in advance of construction works associated with the A832 Achnasheen to Kinlochewe Phase 3 road upgrade, between Glen Docherty viewpoint and Kinlochewe, Highland (NGR: NH 030 619 - 064 594; Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by The Highland Council Transport, Environmental and Community Services (TECS). 1.1.2 The requirement for the archaeological recording formed a condition attached to planning consent for the proposed road upgrade scheme (Ref: 04/969/NIDRC & 05/00164/FULRC) by the Archaeology Unit of The Highland Council Planning and Development Service. In May 2005 CFA produced a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) for the recording works (Appendix 6) to fulfil the requirements of the Brief and schedule, which was approved by The Archaeology Unit. 1.1.3 The objectives of the archaeological recording were to: • record to agreed methods and appropriate standards those archaeological features that lay within areas proposed for development, prior to the commencement of construction works, and • ensure that the needs for archaeological recording and conservation were met without causing any unnecessary delay or disturbance to the road improvement project. 1.2 Planning Background 1.2.1 In 2001 The Highland Council commissioned CFA Archaeology Ltd to conduct a baseline survey of the proposed Phase 2 and Phase 3 A832 road upgrade corridor between Lubmore and Kinlochewe, based upon a preliminary route alignment design. The survey was conducted to fulfil the requirements of a Specification produced by the Archaeology Unit. A report detailing the results of that study (Dunwell 2001) has been lodged with the Council’s Sites and Monuments Record. 1.2.2 In 2004 the relevant baseline data gathered during the 2001 study was incorporated into an Environmental Statement for the proposed Phase 3 road upgrade scheme. In 2005 additional survey work was undertaken over an area at Bruachaig to the north of the proposed road upgrade which is proposed for agricultural improvement. This area is proposed for use to deposit surplus material excavated during the Phase 3 road upgrade. The additional work led to the identification of three further sites. 1.2.3 Both documents contained mitigation recommendations that were used to form the WSI for this phase of the development. A832/1091/0 Page 4 CFA A832 Inverness K i nlo che we R i v e A832 r ig Incheril ha ac Edinburgh ru Glasgow B nn Abhai Kinlochewe G len D A A832 A llt D l l t a u ' o cha che C E iridh r a h t s o y a n ' ' C a i h g ' la h n h ain Lochrosque Badavanich Lodge Achnasheen Lubmore inn D ha ub Loch a' Chroisg Ab h An Liathanach Loch Gowan 90 A8 0 1 2 3m Fig. 1 - Location maps, showing extent of phase 3 of the road scheme. A832/1091/0 Page 5 CFA 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 General 2.1.1 Baseline desk-based assessment and field survey conducted in 2001 and 2004 identified 41 sites of cultural heritage significance along a study corridor including the proposed road upgrade corridor between Glen Docherty viewpoint and Kinlochewe and an area at Bruachaig (sites are catalogued in Dunwell 2001 and Dunwell 2005). Prior to the baseline survey the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS) had recorded eleven sites within the study corridor, including shielings (Ref: NH05NE 7), the site of an iron- working bloomery, enclosure and structure (Ref: NH06SE 8), Glen Dochart settlement (Ref: NH06SE 9) enclosures (Ref: NH06SE 10), a structure and wall (Ref: NH06SW 11), iron-working bloomery (Ref: NH06SE 1), Kinlochewe Lodge (Ref: NH06SW 13), Kinlochewe Bridge (Ref: NH06SW 5) and various old road alignments (Ref: NH05NE 6 and NH06SW 15). The baseline survey demonstrated that most of the significant archaeological sites and monuments identified by the study could be related to one of three principal factors influencing the historic development of the landscape: • Medieval or later agricultural settlement and land use. • The construction of the military road in the 18th century, and its subsequent upgrading and realignment to form the modern road. • The development of the medieval or later iron-working industry. 2.1.2 The following sections introduce the results of the baseline survey, summarising the text included in the Cultural Heritage chapter of the Environmental Statement (ES) produced for the Phase 3 scheme, but focussing upon those remains that required archaeological recording in advance of road upgrade construction works. Detailed baseline survey descriptions for examined sites are included in Sections 5-18: for other sites see Dunwell 2001 and 2005. 2.2 Old road alignments 2.2.1 A road has connected Achnasheen and Loch Maree since the mid 18th century, and it is quite possible that earlier droving routes existed. Cartographic and documentary evidence indicate that since then a complex sequence of re- alignments and improvements to the road line have taken place. Roy’s map of 1747-55 records what may be an original military road, forming part of a road connecting Contin and Poolewe. That road for the most part followed broadly the same route as the current A832. However, at the foot of Glen Docherty, the early road crossed Abhainn Bruachaig and headed northwest, to the southwest of the proposed surplus excavated materials disposal site at Incheril and along the east side of Loch Maree. No formal road crossing Glen Docherty Burn and heading west to Kinlochewe appears to have existed until the early 19th century.