Delny

NH77SW 23 738 727

In March 1992, GUARD undertook a geophysical survey in advance of the re-alignment of the A9 at Priesthill Farm, near Delny. This was necessary because of the presence of cropmarks (NH77SW 15) further into the field, which were not threatened; the possibility remained that other archaeological remains might be within the construction line. Survey was carried out using a magnetometer. The results revealed several minor anomalies, mainly representing old field banks. The most significant featurem, a small rectilineal anomaly, was found to be off the line of construction, and thus in no danger.

Sponsor: Highland Regional Council.

I Banks 1992.

Extensive excavations were carried out along the route of the proposed realignment of the A9 between Broomhill and Logie Easter. Two trenches, with a combined area of over 2000sq m, were placed to investigate a series of linear features visible on oblique aerial photographs and geophysical plots produced by GUARD. A detailed excavation report is in preparation.

Several distinct phases of activity were identified on the basis of pottery typology, the limited stratigraphic and spatial associations, and the extrapolation of excavated features which coincide with cropmark features. Numbers within the following text refer to features on the plan (see Fig.14).

The earliest activity in Area A is marked by a curving section of ditch (1), approximately 0.75m wide, enclosing a number of post holes and stake holes, with one post hole immediately outside the ditch. The ditch continues beyond the limits of the excavation area, and seems to describe a rough circle of about 15m in diameter. The fill contained one undecorated sherd of coarse pottery which can be assigned a broadly prehistoric date. The fill of a shallow, slightly curving length of ditch within Area B (2) produced similar pottery, and the two can probably be considered broadly contemporary.

Two narrow, shallow curvilinear slots (3 and 4), arcing away from another in Area A, can be assigned no clear function. The eastern example (3) is clearly later than the curving ditch described above and earlier than two parallel lengths of ditch (5 and 6), both of which are likely to have been parts of a pre-recent field system associated with a line of four post holes (8).

A wide, shallow ditch (7) which bisects Area B and runs roughly SE to NW is clearly identifiable as a cropmark feature visible on aerial photographs. The aerial photographic evidence suggests that there are two identifiable phases of field systems present. Feature 7 appears to belong to a more recent phase than the two parallel ditches (5 and 6), in Area A and described above.

Recent activity is represented by two pits, one in each area and both containing sherds of recent pottery, and a deep, machine excavated pit, backfilled with clean sand. These features are probably geological test-pits, excavated by Aberdeen University.

Unphased activity includes a small cairn (9), a variety of pits and post holes, and several small, charcoal-filled scoops, the latter unmarked on the plan.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

CFA 1993