Bankhead Farm, Dalswinton, Dumfries and Galloway

Excavation

This project comprised archaeological works undertaken prior to the erection of agricultural buildings and an associated slurry lagoon at Bankhead Farm, Dalswinton. This stage of works (including a targeted excavation and a strip, map, and record excavation) followed on from a pre-planning archaeological evaluation which had uncovered an urned cremation burial.

The excavation first focussed on the already-known urned cremation, with two additional urned cremations in pit burials being recorded shortly after the beginning of the works. These pits contained decorated Early Bronze Age Collared and Cordoned urns, which typically date to the period 1500-2000 BC. The urns were inverted, or buried upside down, in pits, and one of the urns had been placed onto a stone slab and surrounded by an unusual stone setting.

During the strip, map, and record excavation, the team identified a curved ditch which appeared to enclose the three burial pits. Together, the ditch and pits have been postulated to represent an enclosed cremation cemetery, which would represent a significant finding in this locale. Within the wider area of excavation, a number of other pits were recorded, including a possible post-hole and a hearth. The date of these features cannot be confirmed due to a lack of datable artefacts, but they are reflective of possible prehistoric domestic activity and may relate to other cropmark features known within the local area.

Post-Excavation

The cremation urns were bulk lifted in the field (removed within a block of soil) and transported back to CFA’s dedicated post excavation laboratory, where they were carefully hand excavated under more controlled conditions than the field would have allowed. The process included removal of bone, soil, and other geological inclusions in ‘spits’, or small layers, with pauses to photograph and record the contents in between. Each spit was separated for sampling and processed by wet-sieve, ensuring all archaeological matter was recovered. Specialist analysis and reports were generated from the artefacts and eco-artefacts recovered.