Archaeological Watching Brief of a Horse Riding Arena at Land to the East of Strathcarrick House, Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer, Highland

Archaeological Watching Brief of a Horse Riding Arena at Land to the East of Strathcarrick House, Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer, Highland.

Client: Mrs Karen Armour Date: June 2011

Director: Stuart Farrell FSA(Scot) Written by: Stuart Farrell for Alba Archaeology (Highland) Ltd Planning Ref. 11/00697/FUL Grid Ref: NH 249575/860584

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BACKGROUND

3. METHODOLOGY

4. RESULTS

5. DISCUSSION

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

7. REFERENCES

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

9. ARCHIVE

10. DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND

Figure 1 Site location. Figure 2 Site location 2. Figure 3 Site plan. Figure 4 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Figure 5 Area of watching brief, horse riding arena.

Plate 1 View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing W. Plate 2 View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing E. Plate 3 View of horse riding arena during excavation facing W. Plate 4 View of furrow facing NNW. Plate 5 View of horse riding arena upon excavation facing W. Plate 6 View of horse riding arena upon excavation facing E.

Appendix 1 Highland Council Historic Environment Team Specification. Appendix 2 Photograph Register. Appendix 3 HER/NMRS Information.

Non-Technical Summary

Alba Archaeology (Highland) Ltd was commissioned by Mrs Karen Armour in May 2011 to undertake an archaeological watching brief for a development at Land to the East of Strathcarrick House, Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer (NH 249375 860584) as part of a project for a horse riding arena. Highland Council Historic Environment Team produced a specification for this work.

Work in June 2011 revealed a single archaeological deposit of a single furrow of a rig & furrow field system which lies directly adjacent to the horse riding arena. No dateable material was found associated with the rig & furrow but a post-medieval date is likely.

No recommendations for further archaeological work are to be proposed.

Figure 2 – Site Location (2) 1:2500 © A Crombie.

Figure 3 – Site Plan 1:500. © A Crombie.

Figure 5 – Area of Watching Brief 1:500. © A Crombie.

1. INTRODUCTION

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Alba Archaeology (Highland) Ltd on behalf of Mrs. Karen Armour in regard to a condition of planning as required as part of a planning application. The development site is a ‘greenfield’ site located on land to the East of Strathcarrick House, Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer, Highland. The proposed development is to the SW of an archaeological site, of a hut circle, cairnfield and field system.

The work was required as part of planning condition no.2 by Highland Council Planning Department (ref. 11/00697/FUL), which stated the following:

Prior to the commencement of development, arrangements for an archaeological watching brief to be carried out on site clearance and excavation works, in accordance with the attached specification, shall be submitted to and require the approval in writing of the Planning Authority. No site clearance or excavation works shall take place until that approval has been given and all such works thereafter be implemented with the approved arrangements.

Reason: To protect the archaeological interest of the site, which lies in an area where significant archaeological remains are recorded.

A specification for the work was supplied to the client by the Highland Council Historic Environment Team (see Appendix 1).

2. BACKGROUND

The site is located north of a private road, which in turn lies north of the public road from Heights of Achterheed to Heights of Inchvannie (see figure 1). Access to the site is gained from an existing access gate to the south-east corner of the development site. The development site is a ‘greenfield’ site within an area of rough pasture.

To the Northeast of the development site there lies a hut circle and cairnfield (HER MHG 7776, 45437 and 45438 / NMRS NH46SE 1) which notes that the hut circle lies in an area of recent cultivation of rig and furrow. To the East of the development site there is a Burnt Mound (HER MHG 7774 / NMRS NH46SE 3) whilst to the Southwest have been recorded a Farmstead (HER MHG 24414 / NMRS NH46SE 8) and Bronze Age burial cists (HER MHG 8304 & 42232 / NMRS NH46SE 4).

Past archaeological work has been conducted to the area of the current development in the form of an archaeological survey undertaken by Jonathon Wordsworth in July 2000 (Wordsworth 2000) which revealed the slight remains of rig and furrow cultivation in the area of the development centred at NH 496/606. The rigs were noted to be c4m wide and 0.3m high though only ‘faintly visible’ and obscured partly by gorse. Also noted was the trace of an enclosing earth or turf dyke 20-30m N of the fence line. It was remarked that these are not shown on the 1st edition OS.

A survey of maps held in the National Library of Scotland, indicates that the development site is indicated on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1880 (see figure 4) as an area of rough ground. The same is shown on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map of 1906. Same shown on OS map of 1968, hut circle shown to NE. Early historical maps do not provide enough detail for the development site.

3. METHODOLOGY

The archaeological watching brief was to be conducted on area where any new sub- surface ground works were to be carried out ie the horse riding arena. Topsoil was removed to an average depth of 15cm across the site.

The development site lies on a slight southeast facing slope, of mostly rough pasture of grass, bracken and gorse. A natural ridge runs E-W across the middle of the site. Bounded to the South by a post & wire fence, rest of ground is open hillside. To the east edge of the horse riding arena are some rig & furrows of a field system though they are quite denuded in places.

The archaeological watching brief took place on the site on the 2nd of June 2011. Weather during the work was slightly overcast with sunny periods. Work on the horse riding arena was excavated using a 14-ton back-acting machine with a 1.6m wide straight-edged bucket.

4. RESULTS

Work conducted onsite was for the horse riding arena. A total area of 1574.8m² was stripped of topsoil on average 15cm in depth across the site (to an area 62m EW by 25.4m NS).

The topsoil and subsoil consisted of a loose black-brown soil; it lay on top of loose soft yellow-orange-brown sandy silt natural with the occasional round stone, with patches of yellow sand was revealed. One archaeological feature was revealed on the site to the SE corner of a furrow of the adjacent rig & furrow field system. It was about 1m wide and 8m in length, no dateable material was found in the topsoil around it. Not excavated as this corner of the site to be made up with stone for arena. Elsewhere on the site there was evidence of modern disturbance in the form of dumped rubbish, including concrete breeze blocks, wood and wiring, some of which had been set on fire to NE corner of site.

No monitoring of services was necessary, as road was already in place and no other services required.

5. DISCUSSION

The archaeological watching brief conducted on this site to an area of c1580m² revealed only a single archaeological feature of a furrow of the adjacent rig & furrow field system. The date of the rig & furrow is unknown though as they are quite denuded a medieval to post-medieval date is likely. This rig and furrow is the same noted by J Wordsworth in 2000 and that associated with the hut-circle (see above and site 1 in Appendix 3).

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

There is no further archaeological work recommended for this site as comprehensive monitoring work has taken place and only a single un-dateable archaeological feature was identified. The desk based assessment has also been carried out by the

author and although there is recorded archaeology in the vicinity of the development site (cairns and field system); only one single feature was identified within the development site.

7. REFERENCES

Highland Council HER.

National Monuments Record of Scotland CANMORE entries for NH46SE.

Wordsworth, J (2000) Docharty Water Pipeline Renewal – An Archaeological Survey. Unpublished report – copy held by HC HER EHG538.

Maps Consulted

1st Edition Ordnance Survey map 1:10,560 Ross & Cromarty-shire sheet 76 surveyed 1875- 76 published 1880.

2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map 1:10,560 Ross & Cromarty-shire sheet 76 published 1906 revised 1904-5.

Ordnance Survey sheet NH46SE 1:2500 of 1968.

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alba Archaeology (Highland) Ltd would like to thank the following for their help during the work:

- Mrs Karen Armour; - Mr Andrew MacPhee for onsite works; - Staff of Highland Council Historic Environment Team; - Staff of Highland Council Archives.

9. ARCHIVE

The following is to be deposited in the National Monuments Record in Edinburgh: - Notebook of results - Copy of this report

A set of digital images showing the progress of the work has been deposited with Highland Council Historic Environment Record. Digital images used in this report have been deposited with Highland Council HER on disc as well as a copy of this report as a PDF file.

10. DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND

A short summary of the results of this project will be submitted to the Council for Scottish Archaeology’s publication Discovery & Excavation in Scotland. OASIS report no. 102892. ______

Plate 1 – View of horse riding arena before excavation facing W.

Plate 2 – View of horse riding arena before excavation facing E.

Plate 3 – View of horse riding arena during excavation facing W.

Plate 4 – View of Furrow facing NNW – scales 1m.

Plate 5 – View of horse riding arena upon excavation facing W.

Plate 6 – View of horse riding arena upon excavation facing E.

Appendix 1 – HCHET Specification

Appendix 2 – Photograph Register

1 – View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing W. 2 – View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing W. 3 – View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing E. 4 – View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing E. 5 – View of area of horse riding arena before excavation facing W. 6 – View of excavation in progress facing S. 7 – View of excavation in progress facing W. 8 – View of excavation in progress facing W. 9 – View of rig & furrow field system East edge of Arena facing E. 10 – View of excavation in progress facing E. 11 – View of excavation in progress facing E. 12 – View of furrow facing NNW – scales 1m. 13 – View of furrow facing NNW – scales 1m. 14 – View of excavation in progress facing E. 15 – View of excavation in progress facing E. 16 – View of area of horse riding arena upon excavation facing W. 17 – View of area of horse riding arena upon excavation facing W. 18 – View of rig & furrow field system East edge of Arena facing E. 19 – View of area of horse riding arena upon excavation facing W. 20 – View of area of horse riding arena upon excavation facing E.

------

Appendix 3 – HER/NMRS Information

1 – Drum Dubhran HER: MHG 7776, 45437, 45438 NMRS: NH46SE 1 NGR: NH 4994/6097 Site type: Hut Circle, Cairnfield Recorded in HER and NMRS of: ‘On a shelf on generally S-facing whin-covered slopes of Drum Dubhran is circular stone-walled hut measuring internally 11.3m in diameter, with a wall 2.3m thick. Inner and outer wall facing stones are evident intermittently. The 'simple' entrance, in SE is flanked on its NE side by an earth-fast stone. The hut occurs within an area of recent cultivation including rig and furrow but to N of hut are several denuded stone clearance heaps including those published as cairns on OS. 1:10,000 which are probably from contemporary cultivation plots. Visited by OS 17 November 1970. The hut circle as described by previous field investigator. The 3 mounds, published as cairns on OS 1:10,000 1970 are probably associated stone clearance heaps similar to others about 300m to NE (See NH 56 SW 5 ), but northernmost and eastmost are prominently situated on spine of a ridge, and are near circular, about 6.5m diameter and 0.3m high, each surmounted by a modern cairn. The content of NW mound is more "cairn-like". It measures 13.5m E-W by 10.5m N-S and 0.3m high; this is large for an early clearance heap, but situation at higher point of a steep N-facing slope would be unlikely for a burial cairn. Visited by OS 20 December 1976.’ The following additional information is held in HER:

‘Local researcher John Wombell submitted information about nine cairns in this cairnfield, as follows: 1. A low mound of heather and lichen covered stones, possibly recorded on older OS maps as a tumulus, at 250169 861155, c6m diam x 0.4m high at centre. 2. Low oval mound of heather and moss covered stones, recorded as tumulus on older OS maps, at 250041 861051, c5m x 4m x 0.5m high at centre. 3. Low heather and lichen covered mound of stones, recorded as a tumulus on older OS maps at 250169 86115, c6m diam x 0.4m high at centre. 4. Low heather covered oval mound of stones, recorded as a tumulus on older OS maps at 250172 861157, c7m x 4m x 0.3m high at centre. 5. Low heather covered mound of stones at 249906 860967, c6m diam x 0.5m high at centre. 6. Distinctive stone cairn at 249752 860887 c6m diam x 0.5m high at centre. 7. Large heather covered stone cairn at 249656 860856 c 18m diam x 0.5m high at centre. 8. Heather covered stone cairn at 249664 860840, c6m diam x 0.5m high with a slightly dished centre. 9. Heather covered stone cairn at 249528 860757, c5m diam x 0.5m high. Also on the same ridge, in between the cairns, is a sunken oval structure at 250171 861142 measuring c.6m east west by 4m by 1m deep overall, with entrance in the south east corner. <1 - Text/Correspondence: Wombell, J. 2011. Information and photographs from John Wombell about various sites not in HER. Digital.> At present it is not clear which of the above features relate to records already held by the HER. This will be clarified at a future point and records created/amended as required. <2 - Verbal Communication: Tilbury, S. Comment by Sylvina Tilbury, HER Officer.>.’

2 – Drum Dubhran Alt Name - Newhouse HER: MHG 7774 NMRS: NH46SE 3 NGR: NH 4971/6063 Site type: Burnt Mound Recorded in HER and NMRS of: ‘U-shaped burnt mound. It measures 9m x 10m across by 0.9 m high and the open end faces into a natural drainage gully; erosion of turf cover reveals an admixture of black earth and heat-stained fragmented stone. Some 110 metres up the steepish hill slope directly to NNW is a hut circle (NH 46 SE 1). Visited by OS 22 January 1980.’

3 – Heights of Inchvannie HER: MHG 24414 NMRS: NH46SE 8 NGR: NH 4930/6050 (Grid Ref should be NH 4932/60450 Site type: Farmstead Recorded in HER and NMRS of: ‘A farmstead comprising one roofed and one unroofed building and two lengths of field wall, lying within a large enclosure, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ross-shire and Cromartyshire 1881, sheet lxxvi). One roofed building and some field walls are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1984). Information from RCAMHS 1 March 1996.’

4 – Heights of Achterneed HER: MHG 8304, 42232 NMRS: NH46SE 4 NGR: NH 4928/6042 Site type: Cists

Recorded in HER and NMRS of: ‘During removal of gravel from a ridge and mound at an altitude of 180m, 2 or 3 cists were revealed and destroyed. Salvage work was confined to damaged remains of 1 of these cists, situated at S edge of a much altered area of land at Heights of Achterneed. The cist was aligned SW-NE and largely destroyed in its length, although its width was preserved, some 0.55m internally. Majority of capstone remained in situ, but no floor slab was

evident. 2 separate cremation deposits were recovered at SW, intact end of the cist, apparently without any gravegoods. Further work failed to reveal any other features but S-N alignment of ridge could contain further cists or deposits. Area to W, E and S has been landscaped in past, and any archaeological remains in this area will have been destroyed. Mr Stewart & G Harden 1989.’

DES ENTRY

LOCAL AUTHORITY: Highland

PROJECT TITLE/SITE NAME: Land to East of Strathcarrick House, Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer

PROJECT CODE: HOI 11

PARISH: Fodderty

NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR: Stuart Farrell

NAME OF ORGANISATION: Alba Archaeology (Highland) Ltd

TYPE(S) OF PROJECT: Watching brief

NMRS NO(S): NH46SE 1

SITE/MONUMENT TYPE(S): N/a

SIGNIFICANT FINDS: Rig & Furrow Field System

NGR (2 letters, 6 figures) NH 49575/60584

START DATE (this season) June 2011

END DATE (this season) June 2011

PREVIOUS WORK (incl. DES ref.) n/a

MAIN (NARRATIVE) A watching brief was conducted in June 2011 for a horse riding arena DESCRIPTION: and associated services to the south-west of the site of Drum Dubhran (May include information from other (NMRS NH46SE 1). Work revealed a single archaeological deposit of a fields) single furrow of an adjacent rig & furrow field system. No finds were made but it is likely to be post-medieval in date. Full Report submitted to HCHER and NMRS.

PROPOSED FUTURE WORK: None

CAPTION(S) FOR ILLUSTRS: n/a

SPONSOR OR FUNDING BODY: Mrs K Armour

ADDRESS OF MAIN Alba Archaeology Ltd, Newtonhill, Lentran, Inverness, IV3 6RN CONTRIBUTOR:

EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]

ARCHIVE LOCATION To be deposited with NMRS (intended/deposited)