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The Neolithic Henge-Type Enclosure at Balfarg

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The Neolithic Henge-Type Enclosure at Balfarg Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 118 (1988), 61-67 The Neolithic henge-type enclosure at Balfarg - a re-assessment of the evidence for an incomplete ditch circuit R J Mercer*, G J Barclayt, D Jordan^ and Russell-WhiteJ C § ABSTRACT Further excavation and pedological analysis of the gully forming the southern perimeter of the Balfarg, Fife, henge suggest that channelthe previously interpreted naturala as stream factin the is 'missing' southern segment of henge ditch. INTRODUCTION RJM To the S of the W entrance, however, the ground dropped away into the natural declivity already describe ditch-buto n d an dapparents wa t : althoug naturae edge th h th f eo l gully, being .extremely abrupt at this point, caused the excavator not a little difficulty' (Mercer 1981). If no other argument exists (and it does) for the need for the excavator to state in extenso his arguments regarding his sit prinn ei t surely this tortured statement furnishe examplen a s e writeTh . gratefus i rs hi o t l colleague Gordon Barclay who pressinn , witow s hghi interes Balfare th n ti g complex (for thue sw muscalw lno t it), smel rate th t, discusse mattee earln dth a t ya r stag thed ean n found timd ean resources within the Balfarg project to conduct a rapid check by machine-cutting to obtain a second specialist opinion on the nature of the silting in the natural gully (or part of it) on the south side of the monument. Meanwhile, neatl yNationae fileth n di l Monuments Record wer unpublishee th e d record drawings of the excavator lodged there after the report was completed. Of these drawings three were of critical significanc reassessmene th n ei nature th f depositf o te o sout e th n hsitee so sid th .f eTheso e drawings (published here as illus 1 & 2) are drawn sections of cuttings taken across the south flank of site checo th et knaturalle therth r efo y suspected existenc ditcha f eo . At this point it is perhaps necessary to remind the reader of the nature of the deposits within which the ditch at B alf arg was dug. For two-thirds of the circuit on the west, north and east sides of the site the shallow U-sectional ditch was cut into a pinkish-brown gravelly till of extremely variegated nature e ban beed Th .kha n e outeplaceth n rditc e o thid edgth han sf o eban decayedd kha , * Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, George Square, Edinburgh t Historic Building Monumentd san s Directorate Brando0 2 , Edinburg, nSt h t Ancient Monuments Laboratories, English Heritage, Fortress House, Savile Row, London § Central Excavation Unit Melvill9 , , EdinburgeSt h 2 6 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1988 & I ? E 8 X S1 iPl ^ >s ^ "O lil(1) T3 °8 .C ^ c o QJ |"(3 "0DE O s^_ sill 5.&S s ! £ " I."°.£ |_, o ' CD 5Q ! £ =. =. °E I I 8I So 2 & J= O 03 <§ 6 ~«g,< 01 OJ c"g !_ J 2 -Q » i 1 ll c\i ^ lllll ™ c = m (0 _ >• B S BALFARG c Cfl 93 pOa to H » §z r H EC W N. Natural grey clay N1. Iron staining N2. Pebbles and rocks N3. Pipe of sand N4. More pebbles N4A. As N4. more gritty N5. Mixed yellow and brown sand with pebbles . witN5AN2 h .s iroMorA . ngraveh estaininwt N7 . iroTurflin . lBrown/gre nN8 N1 N9 gstainins A e . N6 gy tha san5 nN d N10. Brown claylike sand N10A N10s A . firmer o N10 N10s BA . More gravel . witN4 N11h s iroA . n staining en tn O I tn > •n O I t. Gravelly . Grittsan1A yd . Yello san1B dw sandy gravet sandie. Yellow/gre2 bu browned 2 l an . rs Pebbl 5 A . r4 yy loa. Harsand 3 n mdpa , more compac . Laminationt 5A tha n1 s on 5B. Sandy lensed materia . Mor5C e l orang . eBlue/gre6 tha , lesn5 6 s s y. Mottle A 7 claturflin . y 6A de clay , yellow/brow . Heav7A ny grey clay, iron stainin . Sandie8 g r than7 tn 8A. As 8. more clay, lighter 8B. As 8, more iron staining 8C. Sandier than 8 80. As is. firmer 9. Brown/grey clay 10. Consolidated grey/brown clay 11. Sandier than 10 mor. 11 11A es A pebble. s . lighte11 11B s rA . 11C. Rotted . stonMor12 ee pebbles tha , sandie0 n1 12 12A s A .r 12B. Charcoal flecks 12C. More iron staining tha 2 n1 13A . Yellow sand S, 13B. Browne rSandier C san13 d , fewer pebble . Sand14 s y. Ligh cla15 ty grey sand ISA, Yellow sand . wit15 h15B s claA . y q_______ _1_______ tn H ILLU S2 Balfarg 1977/1978: record sections across 'gully' | SOCIET 4 6 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1988 replenishing the ditch with deposits that in all regards but hardness were indistinguishable from their parent materia glaciae th l- l till that forme side e bottod ditchdth e s an find th o mf .N o s whatever were encountere ditch-file th n di l other than relatively recent materia uppermose th n i l t layers cleaA . r ditch-but perceives wa twese th sitte n dsido th e f witeo h another again clearly define southe th n di - east. Beyond thes vero etw y clearly perceived butt entire sth e subsoil changed completele th n yo south side of the site. The ground here enters a steep declivity the material within which was a dark black-grey clay with substantial boulders set within it. This material appeared to be, and is still held filline channea th f , go be o lt create glaciaa y db l melt-water strea pre-Holocenmn i e time. Hand- diggin f thigo s materia tantamouns wa l impossiblo t t seriea d f machine-cuesan o t sections were excavated across it. The black-grey clayey material bottomed (at the base of the melt-water stream channel) in a clearly defined and very clean junction with the pinkish-brown glacial till referred to above surface black-gree th th n I .f eo y clay channel fillinfurthea s gwa r declivity filled with identical material although with fewer boulders. The junction between this upper clay-filled feature and the lower clay-filled channe neves lwa r apparen pla couln d ti nan d only thed ,an n faintly perceivee b , n di section. The writer must emphasize that the enhancing clarity of the published section drawings, while reflecting the facts, does not reproduce their appearance in situ. It was at this point that specialist assistance was sought to assist with the interpretation of this feature counteA . r proposa writer'made s th lwa o et s suggestio southera f no n ditch segment thatn ,i fact, a secondary, and lesser, natural channel filled with what were clearly water-laid deposits, had been cut into the surface of the already existing deeper channel. This argument together with the indistinguishable nature of the filling of the 'upper channel' from the lower persuaded the writer that southere th nmonumene sidth f eo t Balfara t defines gnaturawa a y db l gull complef yo x formation. A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE GULLY SET TO THE SOUTH OF THE HENGE AT BALFARG BACKGROUND GJB The henge at B alf arg, which lies at the northern edge of the new town of Glenrothes in Fife, was excavate 197 n di 197d 7an 8 propose e prioth o rt d constructio housef no aree th an si (Merce r 1981). monumene Th subsequentls twa y saved from destructio partialls wa d nyan reconstructed 197n I . 9a further enclosure was discovered from the air to the north-east; this site was threatened by housing development. Excavation of this site commenced in 1983; as work progressed, hitherto unsuspected features were foun spreao dt d some distanc weste th o ,et toward henge sth e (Barclay 1984). The henge at Balfarg was identified first by Steer on aerial photographs taken in 1947. Atkinson (1952) in his plot of the cropmarks, showed one entrance, the south-west with two opposing ditch- butts dottee H .suggeste a n di south-ease ditchde th linth r f t visibleo ,e fo whicc no th s ar tn eo h wa photographs available to him or indeed on subsequent photographs. When excavated it was found that an area of different soils, in which the observation of features was even more difficult than elsewhere on the site (Mercer 1981, 66) occupied this southern zone. The linear feature was located within this area which was excavated and recorded as a ditch. However, because of the complex geomorpholog areae th yn ,i onl ylimitea d par whicf to h coul that da t tim examinee eb excavationy db , this featur s interpretewa e mora s da e recent stream course cutting throug broada file f o hlth , shallow, naturally formed gully which had been open at the time of the construction and use of the henge suggestes wa t .I d tha enclosure tth beed eha n designe utilizdo t e this natural gulle pars th y a f to boundary t necessarthao s , no ditc a tsouth-wese s th h wa n yo t side. finae Inth l seaso f excavationo enclosure th n no e near Balfarg Riding School 1985n i , n a , MERCER ET AL: THE NEOLITHIC HENGE-TYPE ENCLOSURE AT BALFARG - A RE-ASSESSMENT 65 extensive programm f samplo e e trenchin s undertakegwa e scatteth o ascertair t nf o fa r w nho prehistoric features extended to the west and the south-east (Barclay et al, in prep).
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