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MHG8443 - Cropmark enclosure - Bellevue Cottages, Tarradale

Summary

Between 1991 and 1993 the late G D B Jones undertook trial excavation of a cropmark enclosure located at Tarradale, Highland.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

First seen during aerial survey by B. Jones, I. Keillar and K. Maudey in 1986 as part of the Moray Aerial Survey. <1>

Between 1991 and 1993 the late G D B Jones undertook trial excavation of a cropmark enclosure located at Tarradale, Highland. Excavation revealed three possible phases of activity. These include: possible Mesolithic activity; a probable unenclosed phase of settlement, dating to the Late Bronze/ Early Iron Age; and finally a phase of enclosure which may be associated with the formation of a substantial settlement dating to the middle centuries of the first millennium AD.

There were three seasons of excavation, before insurmountable changes in the present agricultural regime brought a halt to the research programme (illus 2). In 1991, excavation concentrated on the north-eastern corner of the possible ditched enclosure; four test trenches (1–4) were designed to assess the nature of any surviving archaeological deposits. In 1992 excavation of the north-eastern corner continued and was extended by four further trenches (5–8), to examine any structures which might have survived in the interior of the enclosure. Following the success of the earlier work, the 1993 season was designed to define the course of the enclosure ditch (six trenches: 9–12, 19 & 20), and to determine (by excavating a further six randomly positioned trenches: 13–17), the nature of the archaeological deposits at the presumed centre of the enclosure.

In 1991 and 1992 excavation was largely confined to an area where a fragmentary cropmark hinted that a rounded corner, potentially associated with a large ditched enclosure, was to be found close to the crest of the saddle (illus 3). The presence of a curving ditch was confirmed in this sector with the examination of two excavated sections (illus 3). This feature (F1) was found to be c 4.5 m in width and was generally filled with a homogeneous deposit of dark brown sand, which had been partly truncated at its eastern end by a shallow re-cut containing white sand. With complete excavation it became apparent, however, that the ditch profile (maximum depth 0.5 m) had suffered from severe erosion (illus 3). The erosion of this feature was attributed primarily to aeolian action, in association with modern agricultural techniques, which we believed had removed a considerable depth of the original subsoil. The effects of this type of erosion are not, however, confined to this site, as the comparable degradation of archaeological features has been noted at a number of other cropmark enclosures in Morayshire, which were also constructed on similar Boyndie Series sands (Grattan 1992; Gregory 2001b).

The pottery assemblage from the cropmark complex at Tarradale consisted of 44 sherds weighing 225 g. The sherds were recovered predominantly from a single context (F3), which may represent the remains of a hearth. The combination of fabric, surface treatment and forms present in the Tarradale assemblage suggests a middle to late first millennium ad date (perhaps between AD 300–800) for both the assemblage and the area of trench 4 from which it was recovered. As the pottery is not closely datable, it is unfortunately not possible to identify the length of time represented by the pottery, nor to relate different elements of the assemblage to the different phases of activity reflected in the features.

The excavation and survey at Tarradale demonstrate that this location acted as a significant focus for human activity over an extended period of time. The locale may initially have been used during the Mesolithic period, with a putative phase of woodland clearance, but was by the later stages of prehistory settled in a more readily identifiable form, with the construction of at least one probable roundhouse, dating to the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age. By the middle centuries of the first millennium ad the site appears, however, to have been enhanced in size and, perhaps, status with the construction of a large defended settlement and associated cemetery. Indeed, it is possible that a settlement of this size, and construction, was in some way comparable to Bridei’s munitio, as documented in Adomna´n’s Life of Columba (Anderson & Anderson 1991), and in turn, perhaps, functioned as the principal seat of political power in this sector of the Moray Firth during the mid first millennium AD. <2> <3> <4>

Field Visit (2012)

NH 54 48, NH 54 49, NH 55 48 and NH 55 49 The Tarradale Archaeological Project (an approved NOSAS project) aims to investigate, record and interpret the multi-period archaeological landscape of the Tarradale area and to identify the main periods of settlement and resource utilisation. Tarradale was formerly a parish itself, covering about 750ha of land at the W end of the Black Isle and immediately E of Muir of Ord. The area currently being studied consists of raised estuarine beaches underlying flat, high quality, agricultural land. Apart from the medieval Gilchrist Chapel and a small area of irregular mounds, few standing or surface archaeological monuments survive in an area that is intensively ploughed, although aerial photographs show cropmarks that can be interpreted as ring ditches, pits and enclosures, with one concentration of ring and square ditches suggesting the presence of a Late Iron Age/Early Historic barrow cemetery. This contrasts with the more upland pastoral and wooded landscape where there are standing monuments including chambered cairns, one of which is the Tarradale chambered cairn.

Fieldwalking in the fields to the E and W of Tarradale House early in 2012 produced 237 lithic finds, mainly flint and many of them of microlithic size. The density of finds in relation to the area covered is low and most of the lithic finds are very small and difficult to see in a soil that is derived from coarse sand and pebbles. It appears that quartz and quartzite were also being used for artefact manufacture, probably due to the shortage of flint which does not occur naturally in the area. The project steering group decided that intensive fieldwalking should be undertaken by parallel traverses spaced 1m apart, with individual lithic, early pottery and metalwork find sites plotted using GPS. This essentially meant that all the surface area was being visually scanned for artefact survival.

The majority of the lithic finds can be classified as debitage, but there are a number of reworked flakes, end scrapers and side scrapers. An analysis of their distribution has led to the preliminary identification of a number of potential ‘hot spots’. Lithic finds also included a few larger flakes as well as a tanged and barbed arrowhead, and a number of stone spindle whorls. The lithic finds have not yet undergone detailed analysis. Supervised metal detecting of the ploughsoil revealed the broken off cutting edge of a Late Bronze Age socketed axe and a lead spindle whorl.

Fieldwalking and controlled metal detecting has also provided a picture of a general background noise of medieval pottery and a few medieval coins (for example a silver short cross penny of King Henry III of England, issued 1216–47). However, fieldwalking finds from part of one field (centred on NH 554 487) showed a well defined concentration of degraded pottery sherds, animal bone food waste and iron nails which may indicate the lost location of the former medieval Tarradale Castle that was destroyed by Robert Bruce in 1308. Supervised metal detecting of the ploughsoil in the supposed castle area produced a Henry III long cross penny and a medieval heraldic horse pendant.

Ploughing by the tenant farmer in November 2011 in the field immediately W of Tarradale House (centred on NH 548 487) brought to the surface a dense spread of marine shells, including whole oyster, cockle, mussel, whelk and periwinkle shells, as well as a mass of crushed shells. Two smaller surface spreads of shells were noted close by in an adjacent field. Given that harrowing would destroy the surface evidence, test pitting was carried out in November 2011 to attempt to assess the nature and extent and possible age of these deposits. The test pits provided incontrovertible evidence that there was good preservation of an extensive shell layer below the ploughsoil, though suffering continual degradation due to ploughing. A series of small augur boreholes was sunk to try and delimit the shell layer which was found potentially to cover 500m² and in places is up to 400mm thick and contains many millions of shells. Analysis of a sample of these shells (all of which can be found in the Beauly Firth today) shows a considerable size variation, particularly for periwinkles, with the presence of some tiny periwinkles suggesting that these molluscs were collected by bulk methods. Some of the test pits also produced pieces of antler and bone as well as spreads of charcoal within the shell layer, suggesting that it is a humanly created shell midden rather than a natural deposit of shells. The project is actively seeking funding for radiocarbon dating of these organic deposits to provide an initial chronological parameter for the site.

Archive: Highland HER, local library and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: NOSAS – in kind

Eric Grant, Tarradale Archaeological Project, 2012

(Source: DES)

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 5472 4905 (171m by 208m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH54NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	URRAY

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