Burnside

(NO 1522 4346. There is nothing on the ground to correspond with the cropmark visible on the AP. The site occupies a flattish area in an undulating field but above a natural hollow to the north.

Surveyed from AP at 1/2500

Visited by OS (RD) 3 March 1969

Aerial photography has recorded the cropmarks of an oval enclosure on the summit of a low hill 150m N of Burnside. It measures about 36m by 30m within its ditch and the entrance probably lies on the ENE.

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 4 December 1992.

(Location cited as NO 1520 4345). Assessment of this enclosure was undertaken at a proposed gravel extraction site. The aims of the assessment were to locate and establish the nature, extent and complexity of surviving archaeological features. Resistivity survey was undertaken across the site, and a number of trial trenches were positioned on the basis of the results. The good resolution obtained by resistivity survey indicated that the ditched enclosure had a diameter of c40m. Nine trenches were subsequently excavated at appropriate positions across the site. These results indicate neither a high density of surviving features nor the preservation of stratified archaeological deposits within the enclosure. The enclosing ditch was investigated in two places, although excavated fully only at one. Here the ditch survived up to 2.2m wide and 0.5m deep, and had undoubtedly been horizontally truncated by ploughing. It had a wide, shallow profile with a gently rounded base, and contained two discrete fills. A slight linear feature of unknown origin was located in association with charcoal deposits in one trench in the interior of the enclosure. Two further trenches within the enclosure revealed stake holes. As with the ditch, all these features have been truncated by ploughing. The remaining trenches produced no features of archaeological origin. Sponsor: Laird Brothers (Forfar) Ltd. CFA 1993.

An excavation was undertaken at Burnside Quarry, Blairgowrie, by CFA

Archaeology Ltd in March and April 2007 in advance of quarrying. It revealed the existence of an oval ditched enclosure, situated on a knoll, with two almost opposed entrances. Other features were also present both inside and outside this enclosure, but the relationship between the enclosure and features is not fully understood due to a lack of contextual or dating relationships. Although dating evidence is poor the pottery sherd taken from a feature out-with the enclosure suggests an early prehistoric date (Neolithic). The archaeological features have evidently been heavily truncated, probably by modern ploughing, so the original depth and width of the features is not known. This truncation and the lack of artefacts means that a determination of the date and function of the enclosure and features cannot at present be made.

Phil Richardson, CFA Archaeology Lts, 2007