EHG4834 - Test pits - Barr River, Morven

A small excavation, in which 283 stone artefacts were found, was carried out in 1972 with the approval of the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate and the consent of the landowners, the Forestry Commission. When located, the upper site showed itself as a scattering of worked stones on the track and, with charcoal fragments, on the originally-deepest part of the throw-out from the Commission's ditch, immediately parallel to the track on its shoreward or N side. Small pits were tried all over the area, with a 1.8x1.2m trench, 1.2m deep, at the most promising place, but all that emerged was that the occupation material was probably scanty in origin and is now scattered through shallow to very deep hillwash. Doubtless, material does exist in situ, but in deeply buried patches. Samples of the soil were sieved on 3mm mesh in a prepared pool. The material recovered consisted of charcoal, 194 mostly well-patinated or burnt flints, and six artefacts made of more unusual rocks. <1>