ProcSocAntiqScot, 128(1998), 167-201 Survey and excavation at Kilearnan Hill, Sutherland, 1982-3 Alison Mclntyre* base unpublishen do d report JamesH y sb McCullaghR , Radle,A y & TriscottJ witd ;an h extracts from specialists' report BarbeJ y sb r (1982 survey), J F Birnie (pollen), T Cowie (pottery), D Lehane-Magee (chipped stone) & R Sheil (geology/soils) ABSTRACT Forestry ploughing prompted survey excavationand workhillside a Strath the on in of Kildonan,in Sutherland. Several monuments were investigated, including circles,hut cairns burntand mounds.A range of radiocarbon dates and environmental evidence was obtained. The pottery recovered, although small in quantity, falls into two distinct groups in terms of the temper used. The project was organized fundedand Historic by Scotland's predecessor department (Historic Buildings& Monuments). INTRODUCTION wore Th k described heroccasiones ewa forestry db y development undertaken befor presene eth t arrangement proteco t s t important archaeological site state-assisten i s d forestry were imple- mented in 1988 (Barclay 1992). LOCATION Kilearnan Hill lies on the south side of the River Helmsdale, c 10 km inland along the Strath of Kildonan fro towe m th f Helmsdale no Sutherlandn i , surve e focue th excavatiod r Th . ysfo an n lay to the east of Kilearnan Hill itself, on a peat-covered north-facing slope between the Gylable Burn and the westernmost tributary of the Oulmsdale Burn (illus 1). To the south the land rises quite steeply to a summit at c 400 m OD, while northwards it drops towards the floodplain of the River Helmsdale. presene Th t vegetatio dominates ni heathsy db t witbu ,h grasses co-dominan somn i t e parts myrtlshrubsitd g e oeth fan bo f eso growin poorle th n gi y drained area toward Oulmsdale sth e Burn. * 4 Redhall Road, Templand, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire DG11 1TF 168 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1998 - forestr - - y area boundary 1982 surveyed 50m. squares ILLU S1 Location plan. Ordnance(Basede th n o Survey Crown© copyright) MCINTYRE: KILEARNAN HILL, SUTHERLAND 169 GEOLOGY geologe aree Th th complexs ai f yo . Fieldwor Robery kb t Shiel reveale apparenn da t discrepancy between the solid geology present in the area of the site and that indicated for the same area by the Geological Survey (1 in. to the mile, sheet 109) on which granulitic rocks are shown. Shiel examined sections exposed by both burns. At the north end of the Oulmsdale Burn was an exposure of deeply weathered granitic rock permeating a coarse-textured sedimentary rock, probably sandstone, which was topped by 3 m of boulder-rich till. At the north end of the Gylable Burn was steeply bedded sedimentary rock resembling sandstone, with further south a change to granitic rocks. Subsequent thin-section analysi sandstone-like th f so e rock fro site meth confirmed it as arkosic sandstone containing, in addition to quartz, substantial amounts of feldspar and small amount biotitef so roc e beed .Th k ha n heavily metamorphosed t altereno s dwa enoug t bu , h referree b gneisss o a t o dt . Shiel's work shows alteren tha site o s th eti d sandstones rather than granite. During at least one glacial episode, ice had moved from west to east along the line of the Rive depositioe r th Helmsdal o t d driff le n o d t ean containin g large number erratif so c bouldern si a coarse-textured matrix. In the final stages of glaciation, large amounts of sand and gravels were deposited. PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK The Royal Commission's Inventory of Sutherland (RCAHMS 1911, 106, no 311) recorded the presence of a ruinous broch to the east side of the Gylable Burn c 400 m above its junction with Rivee th r Helmsdale. The Ordnance Survey, during resurveying work in 1976, recorded nine hut circles between the two burns (some said to be associated with field systems), two burnt mounds and a group of cairns, in addition to the broch. These were all located between the 200 ft and 700 ft contours (61m&213m)(illus2). SURVEY AND EXCAVATION IN 1982 The Forestry Commission acquired a plot of land on the south side of the Strath of Kildonan lying between Kilearnan Burn on the west, Oulmsdale Burn on the east, the Glen Loth road to railwae soute th th d northye an linth ho et (illu autume sth wese 1)y th B .f t1982f n o o hal l f fal o , the area (ie Kilearnan Hill itself) and the north part between the Gylable and Oulmsdale Burns had been ploughed. Ploughing of the latter area damaged to varying extents most of the previously recorded monument than o s e hillt th par , f aparo t t fro broce mth hn (illuO . 2) s realizing that this had occurred, the Forestry Commission requested the assistance of Historic Scotland's predecessor department (Historic Building Monumentss& ) before further ploughing took place. latn I e November 1982 smala , Johly teab nd m le Barbeformee th f r(o Central Excavation Unit) embarke programma n do survef eo sampld yan e excavation aree th a n lefso t unploughed. purpose surverecore o On t th s f recognizabll eo yd wa al e monuments frod an m, this databaso et recommend areas for preservation from ploughing. Simple field-walking showed that the sites were concentrate unploughee th n di d central area betwee Gylable nth Oulmsdald ean e Burns. This was gridded in 100 m squares and the survey was carried out on 50 m squares extrapolated from the grid (illus 1). The 100 m grid was marked out with bamboo rods and labelled with waterproof plastic tags. The original field survey sheets were drawn up and a simplified version of 170 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1998 forestry fence forestry ride area ploughed 1982 proposed conservation area Ordnance survey previously recorded sites :- 9 broch 30a hut circle 30b (site 3 ) hut circle 30c hut circle t circlhu ed 30 3la (site 2) hut circle 31 b hut circle 31 c (sitel) hut circle 47 cairns 8 4 (site16) burnt mound 53 (site 4) hut circle 54 hut circle 5 5 (site ) burn15 t mound ILLU S2 Sites known 198e prioth 2o rt surve y the information contained on them was produced, illustrating the positions of the monuments within the landscape (illus 3). Of the 140 surveyed squares, a total of 183 monuments was contained withi squares8 n6 site mea7 a r ,squar 2. spe f no e Expresse. wit8 o hrangt a 1 f en o di totaterme th f l so are a surveyed. km q densits e r th , pe sitef exces0 yn o i s 50 si f so The numbers of sites per 50 m square is represented on the monument density diagram (illus 4) which renders these values as contours at intervals of two sites per 50 m square. The depth of the peat over the survey area was also recorded and contoured (illus 4). Areas of deep seee b corresponpea o nt n ca t d with monumen w arealo f so t densit mayd yan , therefore, overlie r maso k archaeological features. This would explain apparene somth f eo tsurvee gapth n i sy record, especiall southere th t ya n surveyee edgth f eo d area. Onl thosn yi e areas wher peae eth s ti exceptionally deep (in excess of 1.25 m) could the Forestry Commission ploughing proceed with immediato n e threaprobable th o t e underlying monuments. Taken individually ,site e nonth sf eo surveyed would merit preservation. It was the landscape as a whole, or at least large units of it, whic consideres himportancef wa o e b o dt thesn O . e grounds might i , t have been argued thal al t surveyee oth f d area should have been preserved; however, peripherae somth f eo l squares were devoid of sites and the area as a whole was larger than would normally be preserved in forestry hut cairn bank ditch/watercourse A\v V^^^^!ii,^ii,^^K| o t».fe^^^ z W z s r CO C I Zo ILLUS 3 Monuments recorded by the 1982 survey I SOCIET 2 17 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1998 monument density ILLU S4 Peat dept monumend han t density recorde 198e th 2y d surveb y MCINTYRE: KILEARNAN HILL, SUTHERLAN3 17 D 100 0 5 0 4 0 13 0 0 2 60 68 No of 50m squares containing sites ILLU S5 Monument density plotted agains m0 5 tsurve y squares indicate permutatione sth selectioe th n si areaf no r sfo preservation area t thasa t time preservatioe .Th blockf no lanf so d containing monuments seeme provido dt ea compromise solution. Theoretically, 50% of the squares could have been retained with the loss of only 25% of the sites; or retention of only 25% of the squares would have lost approximately half sitee oth f t squit practicen (illuno I . s e 5) sthi wa t si , simple, since retentio f onlno y scattered squares containing large number f siteo s s would have mad e afforestatioth e e areth af o n unreasonably difficult areae Th . s which preservewere b o et identifiee dar illun di . s2 174 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1998 Brief forays inte plougheoth e gride nort th th ared f ho o showet a d that many more monuments were beepresentd ha n d affecteploughinge an , th y b d , than were indicatee th y db Ordnance Survey record s larga , e number f smalo s l cairn d stretchean s f fielo s d walls were reveale sectione th n di s afforde plouge th y db h furrows.