Document record MAB52238 - CAIRNBARROW

A cluster of Neolithic pits and one Iron Age pit recorded during a watching brief by AOC Archaeology in August 2015 to June 2016.

A watching brief by AOC in August 2015 to June 2016 (following desk-based assessment and walkover survey NJ44SE0088) recorded a cluster of eight Neolithic pits and one Iron Age pit were recorded surviving as the basal remains of sub-circular pits visible in the natural subsoil, having been mostly truncated in the past by field ploughing. The pits, surviving below topsoil 0.35m deep, were in a degraded condition. The most interesting feature was pit [126], which contained a slabbed setting and a visible charcoal-rich layer at the base that appeared to represent a prehistoric hearth. Two of the pits provided radiocarbon dates of 3620-3366 BC and 3514-3356 BC respectively, and the others contained similar contexts of probable domestic fuel debris that is interpreted as an indication of a possible Neolithic settlement site. The Iron Age pit contained a large quantity of willow Roundwood charcoal that was interpreted as the burnt remains of a small structure, and it provided a radiocarbon date of 184-3 BC. Interpretation of the sites as prehistoric was further supported by the presence of one coarse pottery sherd and one struck flint flake from pit [101]. A possible iron tool and stone tool were recovered from unstratified contexts on the site.


Period Notes
SUERC-69940 (GU42139), Charcoal: alder, 4668 +/- 30 BP, 3620-3366 cal BC; SUERC-69935 (GU42137), Charcoal: Hazel Roundwood, 4634 +/- 28 BP, 3514-3356 cal BC; SUERC-69936 (GU42138), Charcoal: Willow Roundwood, 2079 +/- 28 BP, 184-3 cal BC.

AOC ARCHAEOLOGY, 2014, CAIRNBORROW WIND FARM, HUNTLY: ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB5509.

AOC ARCHAEOLOGY, 2016, CAIRNBORROW WIND FARM, HUNTLY: ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB5564.

Record last edited

Jun 10 2026 11:11AM