Burnt spread

The National Monuments Service's description

The proposed development would involve the construction of 75 dwellings at Kilmackilvenny, Burnfoot. Development would also involve the provision of treatment works, a percolation area, landscape areas and associated site development works. The excavation by Dermot Nelis, under licence No. 08E0468 of twelve test-trenches located throughout the proposed development area revealed the presence of four previously unidentified spreads of burnt stone in the north-eastern end of the site. Two spreads of burnt stone were identified in Trench 5 and three additional trenches, Trenches 10–12, were excavated to help define their extent, character and condition. Spreads of burnt stone were revealed in two of these test-trenches and it is suggested that they form two individual though contemporaneous and directly associated features. These features are interpreted as the ploughed-out remains of probably Bronze Age burnt spreads. No evidence of troughs was revealed as a result of the testing. Test-trenching revealed one of the spreads over a distance of 9.1m north–south. It had a maximum exposed width of 6m. The second burnt spread was revealed over a distance of 6.6m north–south and it is suggested it may extend for an additional 1–2m to the south. It had a maximum exposed width of 2.3m. Excavation of the remainder of the trenches failed to reveal either archaeological features or artefacts. In total, 1,854m2 of test-trenches were excavated within the 37,050m2 site, giving an approximate 5% test-trenching sample of the proposed development area (Bennett 2011, 84).

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 21 November 2011