What is recorded here

Hot water hissed through porous rock for centuries before a football pitch covered the site. Children still run above the buried trough, unaware that ancient hands heated water inches below their shoes. The slope, peat basin and scattered burnt stone preserve a kitchen older than memory, waiting beneath modern play.

Located at the edge of a WNW facing slope, adjacent a natural basin of peat overlying marl. This fulacht fia was uncovered at a depth of 0.3-0.4m below the surface during pre-development testing in May 2014 in advance of the construction of a football pitch (Excavation licence: 14E0144). It consisted of an irregular-shaped concentration (12m NE/SW; 6m NW/SE) of blackened soil and heat-shattered rocks with occasional charcoal. The outline of a subrectangular trough (1.7m NNW/SSE and 1.2m) was visible 1m to S. The trough was filled with re-deposited subsoil and heat-shattered rocks, and it was not possible to determine its exact form. The fulacht fia was disturbed in the past; it was cut on the NW side by a trench (Wth 1-1.3m; D to the NW) orientated NE/SW. To the W of the trench and down the WNW facing slope were two smaller areas of displaced burnt material. The first area (1.9m N-S; 1.3m E-W) was located 1.3m W of the main spread, and the second area (1.3m N-S x 0.6m E-W) was located 1.3m NW of the main spread. The fulacht fia was not fully excavated. It was covered with a terram membrane and 300mm of sand, and is preserved in situ below the football pitch. (Pers. comm. Richard Crumlish, consultant archaeologist, November 2015). There is a burnt mound (MA078-069----) located 50m to WSW. The attached image is uploaded courtesy of Richard Crumlish: MA078-068----_01.JPG viewed from S, with location of the trough indicated by ranging rods. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 9 November 2015

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