EHG196 - Evaluation - Manse Road, Kingussie, Kingussie and Insh

Archaeological trial trenching was conducted by Ross and Cromarty Archaeological Services (RoCAS) between 16th and 25th January 2012 in advance of development of four new house sites at land adjacent to Manse Road, Kingussie. A desk-based assessment had been conducted prior to commencement of the evaluation in order to assess the archaeological potential of the area. Seven trenches totalling 254m², 14.9% of the total site area (1,707m²), were excavated across the site. The actual area covered was greater than the 9.1% originally proposed in the Written Scheme of Investigation due to the extension of Trench 1 to fully investigate Feature 1. Topsoil and modern deposits were removed by machine equipped with a flat-bladed ditching bucket to reveal the subsoil surface. This activity was conducted under constant archaeological supervision. Three features were identified during the evaluation, all of which were of archaeological interest. Feature 1 was located in trench 1, feature 2 in trench 3 and feature 3 in trench 4. All other trenches were sterile of archaeology. The features were a possible pit, wall footings from an experimental vernacular building erected by Kingussie Folk Museum in the early 1980s and a stone spread. These features were excavated and recorded. <1>