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Cropmarks of converging marks of long sides of a trapezium with possible internal features. Findspot of beaker. The cropmarks were observed on photographs dating from 1984, at which time the land, known locally as Blackhall, was in agricultural use. The land has since been changed to a golf course, and undergone much alteration. An All Over Corded beaker, other decorated pottery sherds and a large flint flake were found during landscaping works at the Golf Course in Spring 2011, within the boundary of the cropmark area. In response to this, Historic Scotland instigated a Human Remains Call-Off Contract to investigate. This resulted in GUARD Archaeology carrying out a programme of archaeological work in July 2011. These works included assessment of the discovery location, topographic and geophysical survey of the vicinity. The results of the geophysical surveys are somewhat disappointing, as only modern features associated with the landscaping of the golf course were recorded. The gradiometry survey showed a great deal of disturbance in all of the grids, but most of these correspond to small mounds, tree planting and bunkers. Metal wire around the electricity pole caused artificial spikes in the data set, which was partially offset by taking dummy readings around the pole. No previously unrecorded features were recorded in the stripped area around the find-spot. The resistivity survey showed only modern golf course features. In addition, the removal of the turf and exposure of sand and gravel deposits around the find-spot meant that high contact resistance was encountered, and the exposed subsoil could not be surveyed. No features associated with the cropmark or with the find-spot were picked up during the survey. During the assessment of the find location, sand within the disturbed areas was sieved, and the eroded section of the exposed mound was recorded. A single additional piece of flint was recovered and the truncated remains of a wide, shallow pit were recorded beneath the modern artificial mound. Although standard practice would have been to take samples of the pit fills for post-excavation analysis, including recovery of artefacts and carbonised remains for radiocarbon dating, removal of any of the deposits within the exposed pit sections would have destabilised the features, or caused further erosion to occur. In these circumstances and given that this area of the golf course is due for further groundworks, protection of the exposed section (by covering it with terram and fencing it off) was deemed the best course of interim action. The beaker was subsequently x-rayed, assessed, consolidated in plaster and its contents excavated. The excavation was conducted in spits measuring approximately 1 cm, with a total of 11 spits being excavated. The excavation of the beaker revealed small amounts of charcoal as well as a possible charred seed. Three pebbles which were initially noted in the X-ray were also recovered during this process. An initial assessment of the beaker, and other shards of pottery, was carried out by Beverley Ballin-Smith, who indicates that the intact beaker is of the All Over Corded type, but that its size and shape are markedly different from other corded beakers found in north-east Scotland. This beaker probably dates to the Early Bronze Age, but could be Late Neolithic. Charcoal from the beaker has been radiocarbon dated to 2461-2207 cal BC. The other ten pieces of prehistoric pottery found on the site are sherds from a beaker, and may represent one or more vessels. Other finds of small fragments of charcoal, heat-affected stones and a single piece of cramp all suggest that cremation practices took place in the vicinity of the site. The two pieces of flint have been assessed by Torbin Ballin as probably representing Yorkshire flint. The more substantial blade fragment is definitely pre-Bronze Age in date and most likely Late Neolithic. The other fragment appears to be a broken-off piece of bulb from a flake and may date from the later Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ24NE0012 - ROTHES GOLF COURSE