Trial Trench

Date 1 January 1999 - 31 January 1999

Event ID 568826

Category Recording

Type Trial Trench

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/568826

NS 6885 7542 An archaeological investigation across the Antonine frontier, around the Board Burn, was conducted in advance of the proposed Kelvin Valley sewer pipeline. Previous work (Glendinning 1998) had identified traces of the Antonine ditch between Shirva Farm and Wester Shirva. From this, several possible alignments of the ditch were possible, the most extreme of these placing the ditch 90m N of the B8023 road and thus within the wayleave of the proposed sewer. The objective of this investigation was to identify the nature and extent of the remains of the Antonine frontier in the low-lying ground to the NE of the burn, as ground conditions during the 1998 fieldwork had prevented the confirmation of its alignment at this point.

Two trial trenches were excavated, revealing the remains of the Antonine ditch, although no trace of the outer mound or the rampart were identified. The results of the excavation confirmed that the ditch crosses the Board Burn about 2m to the N of the B8023 road. This places it further to the S than had been suggested by the previous fieldwork.

A full report has been lodged with the NMRS.

Sponsor: West of Scotland Water.

B Glendinning 1999

NS 6885 7542 The report on the excavation at Board Burn States that their investigations place the Antonine Ditch 17m further south than had been suggested be previous work. It was also established the proposed root of the Kelvin Valley Sewer should not affect the remains of the Antonine Frontier.

Sponsor: West of Scotland Water.

NMRS MS/726/150 (Edinburgh University Centre for Field Archaeology. February 1999)

NS 688 754 Three separate evaluations took place between 1998 and 2001 along the Antonine Wall between Wester Shirva and Shirva Farm, including the crossing point of the Board Burn.

The second trial trenching evaluation was undertaken in January 1999 to confirm the line of the Ditch just to the E of the Board Burn (at NS 6885 7542). The Ditch had a surface width varying between 6m and 8m. The Ditch edges were steep sided although they became noticeably shallower towards the surface. A core was taken through the centre of the Ditch in order to characterize the nature of the deposits and to determine their palaeoenvironmental potential. The core sample was not subject to detailed palaeoenvironmental analysis. Putative remains of the Outer Mound were identified along the northern lip of the Ditch in one of the trenches. No further archaeological features of any kind were located.

B Glendinning 1999