Kinneil House Electro-magnetic Survey

Date 18 May 2021 - 19 May 2021

Event ID 1133084

Category Recording

Type Electromagnetic

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1133084

Antonine Wall Geophysics Project

Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeological Survey Team, undertook electro-magnetic survey of 0.45ha at Kinneil House, Bo’ness, Falkirk, between 18 May 2021 and 19 May 2021. The survey, which forms part of a wider Antonine Wall Geophysical Survey project, was undertaken to (a) confirm the course of the Antonine Wall through the area, (b) establish if the course of the Military way can be identified in the area, (c) investigate Kinneil Fortlet’s northern gateway and associated causeway over the Antonine Wall’s Ditch, (d) investigate the area for traces of a possible Roman fort, (e) investigate the relationship Kinneil village and the Antonine Wall, (f) identify any previously unidentified Roman features in the area and (g) to explore the area for other previously unrecorded archaeological features.

Fieldwork was undertaken by Dr Nick Hannon, Georgina Brown and Angela Gannon, and processing and data interpretation by Dr Nick Hannon.

The electro-magnetic survey was conducted using a hand-held GF Instruments CMD Mini Explorer. The system was set in Low (Vertical Coplanar) configuration in areas KH01, and KH04, providing an estimated effective depth penetration of 0.25m, 0.5m, and 0.9m It was set in High (Horizontal Coplanar) configuration in area KH03, providing an estimated effective depth penetration of 0.50m, 1.0m, and 1.8m. The system was carried at approximately 0.05m from the surface to the left-hand side of the operator. The survey was conducted by walking a series of parallel traverses spaced 0.5m apart and walked in a zig-zag pattern.

The geophysical survey produced good quality results which give a high level of confidence that the methodology and survey strategy was appropriate to assess the archaeological potential of the survey area.

The survey successfully confirmed the course of the Antonine Wall Ditch which in most places corresponds well with its previously mapped line. It has also confirmed the survival of the Antonine Rampart base in some parts of the survey area. A possible causeway across the Ditch has been identified to the east of Kinneil House and may relate to a previously unidentified installation at this location. This may be connected to a fort [1] that has been suggested as likely to exist to the east? Of Kinneil on the basis of design principles expressed in the spacings of such installations. A previously unidentified 10m square enclosure has been identified abutting the southern side of the Rampart. This is similar to the ‘Minor Enclosures’ identified at Wilderness plantation [2], [3], and [4] and may therefore be the fourth example of this class of Roman installation.

The location of a boundary around Kinneil Kirk [5] has been confirmed and the results suggest this may be double ditched in places. Anomalies believed to relate to Kinneil village [6] have been identified in the area known as ‘The Meadows’. The village appears to have been partly constrained by the course of the Outer Mound before extending in a south-easterly direction. The diffuse and amorphous nature of these anomalies suggests they may relate to the clearance of the village.

An area of later prehistoric activity has been identified to the north-east of Kinneil House, comprising a small promontory fort or settlement and roundhouses. Possible droveways, land boundaries and enclosures have also been identified in this area. Some of these features may be connected to the later prehistoric activity, though a later date is equally possible.

Responses relating to Kinneil House’s landscaped gardens [7] have been identified in various location throughout the survey area.

The location of a road or trackway defined by a pair of parallel ditches has been identified crossing, and so postdating, the Antonine Wall.

The survey archive includes a survey report [8] and the spatial data and layers created during data processing and interpretation. These include the unprocessed survey data, processed survey data [9], survey area extents which contain the survey metadata, and point, line, and polygon interpretations [10].

Visited by HES Survey and Recording (NH, AG, GB), 18 May to 19 May 2021.

[1] http://canmore.org.uk/site/48207

[2] http://canmore.org.uk/site/44483

[3] http://canmore.org.uk/site/44486

[4] http://canmore.org.uk/site/45261

[5] http://canmore.org.uk/site/48184

[6] http://canmore.org.uk/site/48130

[7] http://canmore.org.uk/site/367322

[8] http://canmore.org.uk/collection/???????

[9] http://canmore.org.uk/collection/???????

[10] http://canmore.org.uk/collection/???????