Well in Gunnocks

Located on a fairly level landscape. A gradiometer survey (17R0229) by Target Archaeological Geophysics of an extensive development area of c. 75 ha in the townlands of Loughsallagh, Portan, and Gunnocks, identified numerous anomalies of potential archaeological interest. Targeted archaeological testing (18E0013) by T. Coughlan in 2018 and M. Piera (19E0211) in 2019 was able to demonstrate that many of these were of fairly modern agricultural origin. However, sixteen locations were set aside for further investigation, which was undertaken by J. Whitaker under the licence (18E0013) between the beginning of April and the end of July 2019, and all but four of these proved to be of archaeological interest. A single cut (dims 3.3m-2.7m; D 0.2-0.7m), which widens as the base sloped down to the N and was filled with three layers of grey silty clay with varying amounts of broken and burnt stone. This pit was apparently cut at the N end by a second deep pit (dims 4.4m N-S; 3.6m E-W; D 2.2m) that was straight-sided on every side but sloped down gently at N (D 1m) before falling vertically to the flat bottom (Wth 2.5m). The well or water-hole was filled with twelve layers, the upper six of which were clayey silts, but the basal layer (T 0.6m) included burnt mound material that had a single N-S timber (L 0.98m; Wth 0.1m; T 0.05m). This was beneath a layer (T 0.64m) of waterlogged, charcoal-rich material with wood fragments, which in turn was beneath a deposit or dump of 21 timbers of roundwood and brushwood form. The wood layer was overlain by peaty marl with wood, charcoal and hazelnut inclusions. This was beneath two areas of slump beneath the clayey silts. There was a single large post-hole or pit (diam. 0.45m; D 0.68m) at the lip of the well at E. No artefacts were recovered from the well. Six metres to the E was another steep-sided pit (dims 1.55m x 1.4m; D 1.12m) filled with grey silty clays, but no artefacts were recovered. A metalled surface (dims 5.3m x 5.2m) was c. 3m SW of the water-hole. the cobbling was just N of a WNW-ESE field drain, and a field drain on the same alignment was located c. 10m N of the well. (Whitaker 2020, 32-5, Site 13) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 November 2021