Burial mound in Beltra (tirawley By., Lackan Par.)

At the N end of a pasture field, bordering the shoreline on the W side of Lackan Strand, overlooking Lackan Bay. This burial mound, known locally as ‘Greenhill’, is not indicated on the 1838 and 1922 OS 6-inch maps. It consists of a grass-covered, flat-topped D-shaped mound (70m N-S; c. 40m E-W; H 1.6m at N, 2m at S), most likely a modified natural sand dune. It is defined on the curving W half by an irregular, broadly-sloping scarp; the straight side at E, facing Lacken Strand, has been eroded by wave action to a relatively vertical section face (H c. 3.5m). The flat top (c. 40m N-S; c. 30m E-W) of the mound has an uneven surface with several pronounced hollows (diam. 5-10m; D 0.4m) suggesting disturbance in the past. At S–NW the mound has a pronounced steep slope; at NW-N there is long, shallow slope with evidence of past disturbance or quarrying. Remnants of stone facing is exposed mid-way down the slope at the SW. Grass-covered sandy undulations, uneven in width (Wth 5-15m) and height (H 0.4-1m) curve around the base of the mound on the W half; they may incorporate remnants of an outer enclosing element or relict field boundary. The sea-ward E side of the mound is subject to on-going erosion, and at various times over the years archaeological features have been exposed in the section face in a stratigraphy composed of accumulated layers of sand. Concentration of large and medium-sized stones have been noted at both the S and N ends of the section face, probably representing the remnants of a retaining wall or stone facing. Several inhumation burials in E-W oriented, stone-lined lintelled graves have been exposed in section, mainly concentrated in the upper levels of the mound, at a depth of a least 0.6m below the top. Some graves appear to be close-set in N-S rows. In one burial, the skull was clearly at the E end of the grave. Human bones have also been noted protruding from lower levels of the mound, and apparently not enclosed within stone graves; some may have eroded out of graves. Settlement evidence, such as a hearth (MAA008-002002-) and midden material (MA008-002003-), has been noted at several levels within the section face. In 1998 a bronze zoomorphic penannular brooch, dating to the 6th –7th century, was found lying on the beach close to the mound. This is now in the National Museum. Vegetation cover, slumping and erosion of layers, and burrowing by rabbits makes it difficult to decipher and record the stratigraphy of the section face, but the mound clearly has had a long and complex history, apparently involving use for both domestic and burial purposes. The combined evidence of the E-W orientation of the graves and the penannular brooch suggests that the burials may date to the Early Medieval period. There is a midden (MA008-016----) c. 4m to N. Attached images: MA008-002001-_01.JPG Burial mound viewed from SW MA008-002001-_01.JPG Burial mound viewed from SE MA008-002001-_01.JPG Stone-lined grave Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 2 July 2019