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MHG60877 - Pits - Fortrose and Rosemarkie Waste Water Works

Summary

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Type and Period (2)

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Full Description

A desk-based assessment and archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Ross and Cromarty Archaeological Services (RoCAS) in 2012 at the site of the Fortrose and Rosemarkie Waste Water Works. Thirty-nine pit features were recorded and excavated during the fieldwork. Feature 3 was located at the northern edge of the site and was interpreted as a pit or a posthole. It contained some fire-cracked stones and a charcoal-rich lens in its upper fill, while the lower fill contained alder and hazel charcoal with hazel nutshell fragments. These remains are consistent with general domestic hearth waste probably from the prehistoric period due to the significant quantities of hazel nutshell present.
Similarly, F24, a small pit located towards the northwest edge of the site, contained a single fill with charcoal from birch, hazel and willow, with slight traces of hazel nutshell. As before, this assemblage would be consistent with domestic hearth waste from the prehistoric period. This is perhaps confirmed by the presence of two flint flakes.
It was not possible to assign any period to Features 1 and 2, which were located towards the north-eastern limit of the site. F1 was a shallow pit with straight sides and a flat base measuring 1.45m x 1.0m, which was covered with a layer of stones. Mixed in amongst the stones was a charcoal-flecked brown loam. Nothing was retrieved from the feature to suggest either it function or date. F2 was a small patch of burning in an area of redeposited natural that could have been modern in date. <1> <2>

The excavation assemblage from the site was allocated by Treasure Trove (TT 186/14) to Cromarty Courthouse Museum. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 7312 5713 (58m by 15m) (5 map features)
Map sheet	NH75NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ROSEMARKIE

Finds (3)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (1)