Watching Brief

Date 5 June 2014 - 1 December 2014

Event ID 1002784

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1002784

Alder Archaeology were commissioned to undertake an archaeological watching brief on the groundworks for a new house within a small modern hamlet known as 'The Snabs', Longforgan. 'The Snabs' hamlet has developed around a converted farmstead and labourers' cottages, within open arable land. The development site was a plot on the north-eastern edge of the hamlet centred on NGR NO 29745 30124. The Snabs site lies within the perimeter of a known Roman marching camp (see NO23SE 18) covering 63 acres and presumed to be of Severan date (early third century AD). The watching brief was undertaken during the periods 5th-17th June; 18th-19th November and 1st December 2014. Of importance was the finding of a large, V-shaped ditch feature exposed in the soakaway trenches to the S of the house site. The ditch feature was located at NGR NO 29798 29997 and NO 29800 29995. The ditch was aligned 300 degrees from magnetic north, running approximately northwest-southeast. This was the line anticipated for the perimeter ditch at the southwest corner of the Roman camp.

Other archaeological features found during the watching brief were considered to be post medieval and comprised a possible cultivation slot, a relict soil, a loam deposit and rubble and cobble field drains.

Information from OASIS ID: alderarc1-207928 (R Cachart) 2015.