Document record MAB49827 - TARRAS
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Summary
Site of iron working.
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 0628 5988 (97m by 52m) Centred at - Polygon: Unknown Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ05NE |
| Authority | Moray |
| Civil Parish | Kinloss |
Type and Period (3)
Full Description
Site of iron working. The remains of several hearths and furnaces with large quantities of iron slag and furnace bottom were identified during trial trenching evaluation by GUARD in March 1998 prior to the development of the site (NJ05NE0022). Subsequent excavation was carried out by GUARD in June 1998. Stripping of an area 18m square uncovered spreads of burning and concentrations of stones. A significant quantity of metal-working debris, iron slag, fragments of tap slag, charcoal and fragments of clay furnace lining were recovered during cleaning of the trench, were mainly clustered around features in the west end of the trench. The features included a large sub-circular pit containing large quantities of burnt material including lenses and lumps of charcoal, large lumps of iron slag and rounded stones. Although originally thought to be a bowl furnace, excavation concluded that this was a rubbish pit filled with a debris of metal-working activity. To the northeast was a steep sided posthole which contained lenses of charcoal and a single lump of iron slag. A large spread of stones was recorded to the north of the large pit but its function was unclear. A second large spread of stones lay to the south of the large pit, one of the large stones on the surface being the upper stone of a rotary quern. A bowl furnace was recorded at the northern end of the trench, three sides formed of large stones, the east side built from smaller angular stones. A small pit on the east side of the furnace which contained slag, fragments of clay and charcoal may have been a raking out pit. South of the furnace was a large, irregular spread of burnt material within which four shallow pits were identified. Radiocarbon dates from the furnace date these features to the between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD.
Period Notes
Radiocarbon dates: AA-34118 (GU-8342) - 2030+/-45, calibrated to 46 BC- 1 AD at 2 sigma; AA-34119 (GU-8343) - 2065 +/- 45, calibrated to 198 BC - 49 AD at 2 sigma; AA-34120 (GU-8344) - 2130 +/- 65, calibrated to 378 BC - 17 AD at 2 sigma.
WILL, B, 1998, DES (TARRA FARM), 66 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2067.
EXCAVATION
WILL, B, 1998, TARRAS BY FORRES: AN ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION AND EXCAVATION, report (Bibliographic reference). SAB2060.
EXCAVATION
WILL, R, 2010, EXCAVATION OF AN IRON AGE IRON SMELTING SITE AT TARRAS, FORRES, MORAY, Draft text (Bibliographic reference). SAB3441.
Jan 1 1998 , AAS/GR/98/CT547-556, AAS/GR/98/CT547-556 (Ground Photograph). SAB33122.
Author unknown, n.d., FORRES GAZETTE, 8/4/98 (Bibliographic reference). SAB523.
EXCAVATION
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: MOR;
- NMR Card Number: NJ05NE33;
- NRHE Numlink: 141703;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ05NE0024;
External Links (1)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/141703 (trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SAB2060 Bibliographic reference: WILL, B. 1998. TARRAS BY FORRES: AN ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION AND EXCAVATION. report.
- --- SAB2067 Bibliographic reference: WILL, B. 1998. DES (TARRA FARM). 66.
- --- SAB33122 Ground Photograph: Jan 1 1998 . AAS/GR/98/CT547-556. Colour Transparency. AAS/GR/98/CT547-556.
- --- SAB3441 Bibliographic reference: WILL, R. 2010. EXCAVATION OF AN IRON AGE IRON SMELTING SITE AT TARRAS, FORRES, MORAY. Draft text.
- --- SAB523 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. n.d.. FORRES GAZETTE. 8/4/98.
Finds (2)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (3)
Record last edited
Aug 26 2024 12:48PM
