Document record MAB62811 - KIRKTOWN OF FETTERESSO

An evaluation was carried out at this site by Cameron Archaeology in June 2013.

An evaluation was carried out at this site by Cameron Archaeology in June 2013. A total of 7 trenches (1,960 sq m) were excavated over the 2.78 ha site. Several areas had been extensively disturbed by rabbit burrowing. Two pits, severely truncated by ploughing, were uncovered in Trench 1 at the north end of the site, adjacent to the present cemetery. Each contained one fragment of human bone. It is possible that these are part of a cremation cemetery under the modern graveyard or extending less than 20m into this field. No other archaeological features were identified by the evaluation. A subsequent watching brief and excavation carried out by Cameron Archaeology in October-November 2015 revealed 25 features, all of which had been heavily truncated by later agricultural activity and rabbit burrowing. The excavation covered an area 50m by 120m and was aligned northeast-southwest. Pits, post-holes and possible hearths may represent at least 3 structures. Neolithic artefacts included 306 sherds of early Neolithic carinated pottery sherds, three early Neolithic tools: a scraper/knife, a large blade and a microblade, together with a little daub, charcoal, hazel nutshell and indeterminate cereal. Coarse, undecorated Iron Age pottery sherds were recovered, along with additional lithic artefacts, primarily small flakes and chips. Burnt bone was recovered from 5 features. Two features dating from the early Neolithic and early Iron Age contained possible human bone, and one feature dating from the Pictish period contained cremated human bone. Carbonised cereal grains were also present, particularly in three early Iron Age pits and the fill of a sub-rectangular pit, which was radiocarbon dated to the middle sixth to the middle seventh centuries AD. Later features include a pit, along with rig and furrow, which date to the medieval period or later. The site appears to represent sporadic activity dating to the early Neolithic, late Bronze Age, early and middle Iron Ages, the early Medieval/Pictish and later Medieval Periods. Radiocarbon date sampling was carried out on 10 samples of charcoal and cereal grains, providing a calibrated date range of 3952–3766 BC to 559–653 AD.

Period Notes
Ten samples were submitted for radiocarbon dating, the results ranging from early Neolithic to late Iron Age: SUERC-67581, 2838 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 1107 – 1102 BC and 1087 – 915 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Corylus avellana; SUERC-67580, 2433 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 750 – 683 BC, 668 – 638 BC and 591 – 406 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Salix sp.; SUERC-67591, 5042 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 3952 – 3766 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Corylus avellana; SUERC-67590, 2453 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 755 – 680 BC, 671 – 607 BC and 596 – 413 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Corylus avellana; SUERC-67584, 2506 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 788 – 701 BC and 696 – 540 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Alnus glutinosa; SUERC-67583, 2272 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 401 – 351 BC and 301 – 210 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Salix sp.; SUERC-67588, 2118 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 342 – 327 BC and 205 – 51 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Corylus avellana; SUERC-67589, 1448 ± 32 BP, calibrated to AD 559 - 653 at 2 sigma, material - Cereal grain Hordeum vulgare; SUERC-67582, 2514 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 792 – 727 BC, 718 – 706 BC and 695 – 541 BC at 2 sigma, material - Charcoal Alnus glutinosa; SUERC-67579, 2487 ± 29 BP, calibrated to 776 – 509 BC and 498 – 494 BC at 2 sigma, material - Cereal grain Hordeum vulgare var. nudum.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2013, A WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION (WSI): LAND AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSO, AB39 3UP, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB5400.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2013, LAND AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSO, STONEHAVEN, ABERDEENSHIRE, AB39 3UP: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION REPORT, Eval report (Bibliographic reference). SAB5392.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2014, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 14, 2013, p.20 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5483.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2015, A WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION (WSI) FOR EXCAVATION: LAND AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSO, AB39 3UP, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB6767.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2015, LAND AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSO, STONEHAVEN, ABERDEENSHIRE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION REPORT AND DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (DSR), Excavation DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB6719.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2015, LAND AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSO, STONEHAVEN, ABERDEENSHIRE: POST-EXCAVATION RESEARCH DESIGN (PPERD) , PERD (Bibliographic reference). SAB6720.

LENFERT, R, 2019, AR034: PAST THE CEMETERY GATES: A MULTIPERIOD SITE AT KIRKTON OF FETTERESSON, STONEHAVEN, ABERDEENSHIRE, ARO (Bibliographic reference). SAB2805.

Record last edited

Dec 20 2022 1:42PM