EHG3534 - Trial trenching, Knocknagael substation site

A trial trenching evaluation was conducted over the footprint of a proposed electricity substation. Twenty four trenches were excavated of which only three yielded archaeological features. It was also noted that there was a surprising paucity of topsoil finds, those which were found lying on the south side of the side. The identified features comprised a possible posthole in Trench 12, three rubble field drains in Trench 16 and four possible postholes and a possible hearth in Trench 19. Whilst these features may be indicative of prehistoric activity, it is thought more likely that they result from 19th or 20th-century scrub clearance. In any case the features were highly truncated. A number of large sandstone and schist slabs were noted in Trenches 12, 19 and 20 but these were not associated with any archaeological evidence. A charcoal sample was recovered from one of the features (19-06) but has not been processed as it was not securely stratified. No further work has been recommended within the footprint of the substation site. <1>