Billown Quarry
Date(s): 1994
Creator(s): Centre for Manx Studies
Scope & Content: Excavation register; Jenny, Nick, Andrew Hartley, Buster.
Trial Trench 2 manuscript note; 23 06 1994.
Photographic record manuscript page; Wednesday 22nd June ’94.
Photographic record sheets (x2); 23 colour slides.
Excavation notes typed-up; 3 pages.
Excavation drawing of Feature 237, pencil on A4 film; 1:10; 24 06 1994.
Enlarged photocopy of Feature 237 final drawing with additional note.
Feature 237 copy of final drawing with manuscript notes.
Copy of 'Fig. 2 Phase AA of development: showing location of trial trenches and selective area excavations, and area of post-top-soiling geophysical survey (shaded) approx 1:700' by Lancaster University Archaeology Unit October 1993; enlarged by 150%.
Drawing for Figure X; part of 1993 plan with 1994 trenches added c 1:700.
Estimated costings for archaeological investigation at Billown Lime Quarries.
Project brief and discussion of options 27 04 1994; 4 pages.
03 10 1995: Mrs E. Callender to Liz Bates; thanks for returning the flints.
1 copy of Billown Neolithic landscape project an introduction Manx National Heritage & Bournemouth University: 1996.
Photocopy of Darvill, Timothy (1996) 'Billown, Isle of Man' in Current Archaeology issue 150, 232-237.
Photographs:
[In hanging files]
22 colour-mounded 35mm slides [001-009; 011-023] in clear hanging wallet holder labelled ‘Billown Quarry 1994 excavation’. Identification list is present.
Plans:
Feature 237, ink on A3 film; not to a standard scale.
Plan of trial trenches and selective area excavations, ink on A3 film; not to a standard scale.
Administration / Biographical History: In early 1994 Lancaster University Archaeology Unit (LUAU) had undertaken exploratory excavations at Billown lime quarries, Malew as one of the conditions for planning permission to extend the quarry. The excavations had investigated Area AA, the first phase to be quarried (SC 268702). In June 1994 CMS was engaged to continue the excavation of a number of features that LUAU had been unable to complete within their original timetable.
Excavation took place between 22nd and 24th June 1994 and consisted of the re-investigation of a number of incompletely excavated test pits considered sterile by LUAU. Feature 97 was excavated by trowel, and concluded to be a sink-hole; the ‘charcoal’ reported by LUAU was interpreted as limestone swaddler. Feature 239 was also considered to be a natural hollow. The remaining fill of Feature 237 was removed and found to be a stone packed posthole with pottery. The half-sectioned Feature 242 also contained pottery. Area 2 was planned and photographed; its stratigraphy was tested by trial trenching. The deposits encountered all appeared to be glacial in origin and no finds were encountered.
People:
J. J. Woodcock, N. C. Johnson, P. J. Davey, A. Hartley, B. Podbereski
Language: English
Collection: Manuscript Archive
Level: FILE
ID number: MS 14146/26
Access conditions: No regulations or restrictions are implemented on this material. Advance notification of a research visit is advisable by emailing library@mnh.gov.im