What is recorded here
Midden in Castlequarter is a buried deposit of human life west of Inch Castle, where ploughing once freed Mesolithic blades and a possible butt-trimmed form. It lies below the castle rock on a steep, bramble-choked slope above the tide, perhaps stretching fifteen to twenty metres along the field edge. People may have eaten, chipped stone and discarded what no longer served before the grass and forgetting closed over their hands.
Described in 2001 as 'The site lies immediately to the west of Inch Castle (DG046-004-) but could not be inspected as the field is now in grass and no sections were available. The midden was noted by McNaught and Gallagher during ploughing and it would appear to extend 15-20 metres from the SE corner of the field i.e. just below the rock outcrop on which Inch Castle is built. This is probably one of two sites in the vicinity of Inch Castle referred to by Harte in 1867. The monument would appear to lie on the edge of a steep slope running down to the shore. The slope is heavily overgrown with brambles etc. the midden would appear to lie at an altitude in excess of 5 metres above high tide mark. During ploughing, the area of the field adjacent to the midden produced a range of artefacts including a possible butt-trimmed form and several large elongated blades typical of the Mesolithic' (Woodman & Milner 2001, 19-20; Milner & Woodman 2007, 104-5, No. 6).
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 17 August 2010
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.
- What survives
- Recorded monument
Places near here
Inch Castle Promontory FortPromontory fort, coastal · 29 yd
farmyard complexfarmyard complex · 617 yd
Former Castlequarter Fairy FortFairy fort / ringfort · 986 yd
Drumgowanfarm house · 1201 yd
King's GraveArchaeological place · 1614 yd
Mullanadee ShoreBeach / strand · 1.8 mi
Mass RockNamed rock · 2.0 mi
Lackan ForestForest · 2.3 mi