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Prehistoric and medieval features recorded during evaluation and excavation by Headland Archaeology (NO43SE0117) in 2021 ahead of onshore transmission works. Trial trenching recorded ditches, pits and a possible roundhouse. A large ditch in Trench 69 was interpreted as a possible enclosure ditch. Some 10m to the northwest a possible 1.1m wide curvilinear ditch and a terminus contained similar fills (although no artefacts), defining a feature of a size and shape that may be a roundhouse. Two pits were recorded some distance to the northwest in Trench 74: neither contained artefactual evidence. A possible furrow was uncovered in Trench 72. Targeted excavation in 2021 identified prehistoric activity across most of the site, and a concentration of medieval activity at the south end of the site. Of prehistoric date were clusters of pits and postholes, forming six rough concentrations. In some cases the post-holes were in a curved alignment suggesting post rings for roundhouses. Some clusters also included short lengths of curved gullies or shallow linear features which may also represent the remnants of ring-ditches. Pottery recovered from the cluster at the northwest end of the site, is of likely Iron Age date. At the south end of the site the large linear feature found during trial trenching was found to be an extensive area of quarrying or terracing on the edge of the steep slope to the southeast. Evidence of medieval activity includes two ditches running southwest to northeast, the northernmost with post-holes along its base indicating a fence line of some form of enclosure. The other ditch was narrower and shallower, and yielded one sherd of medieval pottery. There was also a number of pits across this area, and a spread of stones measuring 10m by 4m, although the stones showed no arrangement and were a mix of large rounded cobbles and flatter stones. They possibly derive from a nearby structure which had been demolished. A smaller spread was found to the south. Sherds of medieval pottery were found in the vicinity of the larger spread and a spindle whorl within the smaller one.
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