Report of an Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Inverness
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Client: Slioch Ltd. Date: June 23-24 2014 Report of an Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Inverness. Written by: Stuart Farrell, Mary Peteranna Planning Ref . 08/00255/FULIN Grid Ref : NH 68165/44295 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. BACKGROUND 3. METHODS 4. RESULTS 5. DISCUSSION 6. RECOMMENDATIONS 7. REFERENCES 8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9. ARCHIVE 10. DES Figure 1 General location Figure 2 Site plan Figure 3 1st Edition Ordnance Survey of 1871 Figure 4 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey of 1904 Figure 5 3rd Edition Ordnance Survey of 1930 Figure 6 Ordnance Survey map of 1972 Figure 7 Plan of Drakies of 1810 Figure 8 Location of Trenches Figure 9 Drain, Feature 2, in plan and section Figure 10 S-facing section of Trench 9 showing Feature 19 Figure 11 Section drawings of pits Figure 12 Location of features Table 1 List of Trenches Appendix 1 Highland Council Specification Appendix 2 List of Features Appendix 3 List of Contexts Appendix 4 Photographic Register This report contains the results of an archaeological evaluation undertaken in June 2014 on behalf of Slioch Ltd at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Inverness as part of a condition of planning by Highland Council. Wester Drakies Steading dates from the very late 18 th or very early 19 th century and has seen some alterations throughout its use, but with some of the original features being intact. The Building was demolished in 2010 after a photographic survey was conducted by S. Farrell. The evaluation revealed the remains of thirteen pits of unknown use, a stone-lined drain associated with the former steading and structural remains associated with 20 th century farm buildings, a household midden and sheep burial. Finds made were of a 19 th /20 th century date. Archaeological monitoring of topsoil clearance is recommended during development, though this is subject to approval of the Highland Council Environmental Team. 2 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland 1. INTRODUCTION An archaeological evaluation was carried out for Slioch Ltd as part of a planning application to develop the site for new housing (Figure 2). The proposed development site comprises an area of open ground and an existing house site located at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Inverness. The evaluation work followed upon a desk-based assessment and photographic survey of the steading conducted in December 2009 (Farrell, 2009). The archaeological evaluation work was required as part of planning condition no.12 by Highland Council Planning Department (ref. 08/00255/FULIN) which stated: Prior to the commencement of development, a programme of archaeological work for the preservation and recording of any archaeological features affected by the proposed development, including a timetable for investigation, all in the accordance with the attached specification, shall be submitted to, and require the approval in writing of, the Planning Authority. All arrangements thereby approved shall be implemented by the developer at his expense in accordance with the approved timetable for investigation. Reason: To protect the archaeological and historic interest of the site. 2. BACKGROUND The development site is located directly north of the existing public road, off Thistle Road, Culcabock (Figure 1). The former farmhouse of Wester Drakies has been completely modernised and is now 2 houses. Wester Drakies Steading, which dated from the late 18 th /early 19 th century, building was demolished c.2010 after a photographic survey (Farrell 2009). Drakies House is depicted on Roy’s Military map of 1745-55 and on John Thomson’s map of Inverness of 1830. Neither indicates the farm. Both house and farm are not marked on John Home’s map of Inverness of 1774 or John Wood’s map of Inverness of 1822. However, the farm is depicted on a plan of the estate dated 1810 (Figure 7) as a single range to the south, with three rectangular buildings aligned N-S to the N, and fields 17 and 23 marked as arable . The farm is depicted on the 1 st edition Ordnance Survey (published 1871, surveyed 1868) (see figure 3) as a U-shaped roofed building with farmhouse to east. Ground to the north is marked as woodland. By the 2 nd edition OS map of 1904 (revised 1902-3) (see figure 4) the farm is unchanged, though a small structure is depicted in the courtyard. By the 3 rd edition OS of 1930 (revised 1929) (see figure 5) the farm has seen a number of changes. Two structures are shown to the east side of the courtyard, whilst a structure has been added to the northwest corner. A number of small structures have been built to the north of the steading. Part of the woodland to the north is gone and shown as open ground. To the west is a gravel pit. By the OS map of 1972 (revised c1969-71) (see figure 6), the buildings of the steadings are the same, whilst the structures to the north have been removed and replaced with a larger building, with small structures to the east and a structure to the northeast. The gravel pit to the west is gone. The latest site plan (see figure 2) shows only the structure to the NW and a partial structure to the north. The lands of Wester Draikie (also known as Little Draikie) changed hands a few times in the late 17 th and 18 th centuries until being acquired by Mackintosh of Raigmore in the early years of the 19 th century, sometime after 1810 as Robert Gordon of Drakie had died at his estate of Plantation Huntly, Demerara (Inverness Journal 1 Dec 1809). Prior to fieldwork no archaeological sites were recorded to the development site. In the wider area a number of prehistoric features have been found; these include the following: a pit with grooved ware pottery at the site of the Police HQ at NH 686/443 (Kenworthy 1997) and six pits of unknown date at the Dell of Inshes at NH 685/440 (Cameron 1998 & 1999). 3 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 1 – General Location Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence no. 100041016. 4 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 2 – Site Plan © Colin Armstrong Associates 5 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 3 – 1st Edition Ordnance Survey of 1871 Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence no. 100041016. Figure 4 – 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey of 1904 Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence no. 100041016. 6 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 5 – 3rd Edition Ordnance Survey of 1930 Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence no. 100041016. Figure 6 – Ordnance Survey Sheet NH6844/6944 of 1972 Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence no. 100041016. 7 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 7 – Plan of Drakies 1810 (RHP 12362) © National Archives of Scotland. 8 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland Figure 8 – Location of Trenches 9 Archaeological Evaluation at Wester Drakies, Culcabock, Highland 3. METHODOLOGY The archaeological evaluation took place on the site on the 23rd -24 th of June 2014. Weather during the work was sunny and dry. The trenches were excavated using a tracked back-acting machine with a 1.9m-wide straight-edged bucket under direct archaeological supervision. Trenching was conducted on areas of the development site which were accessible, mainly the greenfield site forming the northeast two-thirds of the area. Topsoil was removed to a depth of between 0.3m and 1.6m in depth, with the shallowest area being along the southwest side of the field and the deepest areas being in the centre of the field. 4. RESULTS A total of 6.8% of the whole development area (which is approximately 5,800 m²) was evaluated. The entire development area was not evaluated due to the location of an existing house plot and large rubble pile (from the demolished steading) on the southwest side of the site. A total of 11 trenches (Table 1) or 394 m² were excavated being about 9.7% of the area beyond the existing house plot (Figure 8). Trenches 1, 2 and 9 were extended to investigate features uncovered in the trenches and to avoid existing underground utilities, the latter caused a trench to the south of the existing house not to be excavated. Table 1 List of Trenches Approx. Area Trench Depth Alignment Features dimensions (sq No. (m) (m) m) 1 NNE-SSW 1-2 18 x 2 0.5-0.65 37 2 NW-SE 3-14 25 x 3 0.3-0.35 52 15, 16, 3 NNW-SSE 12 x 1.9 0.5-0.6 19 21 4 NE-SW 17, 18 23 x 1.9 0.5-0.8 37 ENE- 5 - 16 x 1.9 0.5-0.6 26 WSW 6 NE-SW - 22 x 1.9 0.5-0.6 36 7 NW-SE - 10 x 1.9 0.5-1.05 16 8 NE-SW - 17 x 1.9 0.8-0.95 31 9 NNW-SSE 19, 20 42 x 1.9 0.8-1.6 100 10 E-W - 13 x 1.9 0.6-0.8 22 WNW- 11 - 12 x 1.9 0.8-1.1 18 ESE Prior to the evaluation, it was visibly apparent that the southwest corner of the site had been previously disturbed due to the demolition of the steading.