Monument record MHG54841 - Possible pit or hearth, The Cashel

A shallow cut into the subsoil was observed in the south-east facing section of a cable trench during a watching brief. The cut was infilled with a charcoal-rich black soil which also extended beyond the cut. This may be the infilling of a natural depression with the same deposit as is spread across 2m immediately to the SW, however it appears to be sealed by a layer of loose subsoil (4) suggesting that this was re-deposited to seal the infilled cut. This suggests a deliberately dug pit. There is no evidence for an actual hearth within the cut, but this may be located within the undisturbed part of the pit north of the trench. The soil fill included a number of possibly deliberately placed stones on the NE side of the pit, but these are all decayed granite and no deliberate placement can now be observed. However, the stones do appear to be clustered at the NE side of the pit, and may be the remains of a hearth surround.
Wet sieving of samples of soil taken from the feature and the layer around it produced identical results. The soil contained significant quantities of small particles of charcoal, the largest being 5mm in diameter. No single piece was identified that was suitable for radiocarbon dating, nor could the species be identified, but the sample has been retained. <1>