EHG2859 - Trial trenching at Mullans Wood, Tore

Archaeological trial trenching was carried out within an area of felled coniferous planting scheduled for re-development. The trenches covered 7% of the development area. Before felling commenced a marking out survey had been carried out to identify exclusion zones. Three of the stone piles identified in the walk-over survey were investigated. An area of topsoil stripping for a deer fence was also examined, and a trial trench was dug across the area of a proposed office and plant building. The work ascertained that mounds identified during an initial walk-over survey were piles of stones without any structure and were most likely to have been field clearance piles, possibly contemporary with a hut circle located within the undisturbed part of the plantation. Ditches and plough marks were also noted. These are possibly associated with short-term expansion of croft land during the 19th century. <1>