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Cropmarks of settlement and possible field system, including a trapezoidal enclosure (NJ25NW0025). Field walking and evaluation has been carried out within the field as part of investigations of the environs of a prehistoric settlement to the east (NJ24NW0024), and of Birnie Church (NJ25NW0001). Fieldwalking carried out in 1998 by F Hunter, to assess the archaeological potential of the area recorded a general concentration of finds in the centre of the field with few finds from this southern part of the field. The finds included a Neolithic or Bronze Age scraper, two fragmentary chipped stone discs of probably Iron Age date, a small number of medieval ceramic fragments, single possibly prehistoric rim sherd. A small assemblage of slag and cinder (although these do not show any significant concentration and do not indicate any substantial metalworking activity). A total of 26 metal finds included hand-forged nails, a Medieval lead spindle whorl, and a rim fragment from a copper alloy bowl. In January 2001 three small trenches were excavated in the gap between the modern church yard wall and the fence, but no trace of an earlier enclosure was found. In May 2009 a long series of trenches was excavated south from the kirkyard wall to the road. At the south end on the flats of Paddockhaugh a number of ditches apparently at right angles to one another were recorded, likely to be boundaries of an earlier field system. Towards the base of the hill, masked by hillwash deposits which smothered a post-medieval stone dyke shown on earlier maps and which included a saddle quern in its make up. To either side and running up the lower slope were rectangular dark features, probably the remains of buildings, whilst a peat deposit in the area of poorer drainage at the foot of the hill probably masks the early enclosure ditch. Three larger areas, on the lower slopes, at the foot of the hill and over the ditches in the south, were excavated in January 2010. In the trench at the base of the hill under the peat was a U-sectioned feature which might represent a boundary ditch (see also NJ25NW0022). The whole lower hill had been raised by dumping sand, ash (possibly) and organic material, presumably intended to raise the ground level in this damp area. At least one pit was cut into this. Although no finds were recovered from these contexts, a scatter of medieval pottery occurs in the topsoil suggesting that these layers are pre-medieval. A trench at the southern end of the hill recorded the bases of broad rigs, circa 5 m across, typical of post-medieval ploughing. One of the rigs had disturbed a pit full of slag suggesting there may have been ironworking in the area.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ25NW0029 - PADDOCKHAUGH, BIRNIE