Enclosure in Belladooan

In pasture, located on top of a broad low rise or small knoll, effectively an island of dry ground surrounded by a flat expanses of damp pasture and boggy ground. There is a steep fall of ground at N–E, dropping at E to a flat marshy area. The slopes are more gradual to S and W, with a flat expanse of damp ground stretching to the small, meandering Belladooan River located 120m to W. At this location there is a low, grass-covered bank (Wth 3.5-4.5m) which extends E–W for a length of 19m, arcing very slightly to N. It coinciding with the natural break of slope at the top edge of the N side of the knoll. This gives the N-facing slope of the bank a pronounced drop (H 1.2m; Wth slope c. 2.6m), enhanced by the natural fall of ground. The S face of the bank is low (H 0.4m), with a broad slump. A few stones protrude randomly from the bank along its length. A number of larger stones are visible at the base of the N slope. There is a shallow, roughly semicircular hollow (max. dim. c. 2m) at the base of the N-facing slope towards the W end of the bank, probably the result of past disturbance/digging. There are two discrete, very low grass-covered rises or mounds (max. L 4m; Wth c. 1m; H 0.2-0.3m), of uncertain significance immediately to S of the W end of the bank. The bank is not shown on the 1838 and 1923 OS 6-inch maps. In local tradition, it is known as ‘moat’, and is associated with a possible souterrain (MA021-100002-). The bank may represents the remains of an enclosure, which may have encompassed the level top of the knoll, however, but it is not now possible to trace the outline of an enclosure at ground level. There is an enclosure (MA021-025----) 110m to NW and three slab-lined burials (MA021-077001-; MA021-077002-; MA021-077003-) were located c. 150m to E. Attached images: MA021-100001-_01.JPG: Bank viewed from W MA021-100001-_02.JPG: Bank viewed from NE MA021-100001-_03.JPG: Bank viewed from SW MA021-100001-_04.JPG: Bank viewed from NW Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 12 December 2019