Monument record MHG54898 - Drainage ditch, Marine Terrace, Rosemarkie

A poorly constructed drainage ditch was identified during trial trenching (Feature 3). The feature is believed to be contemporary with a sequence of cobbled and rubble surfaces identified in the same trench (Trench 2). The site was known locally as "The Stanks", defined in Scottish or Northern English dialect as "a pool or pond; a drain", or "to drain land by open ditches". This description suggests that the site was a location for drainage structures for the village which would also explain why it was left undeveloped after the 18th century. This would also explain the presence of two small human phalanx bones in two of the contexts (a 19th-century pit and the mid 18th-century ground surface). It is assumed these are intrusive material from the nearby graveyard. <1><2>

<1> Peteranna, M, 04/2011, No. 5 Marine Terrace, Rosemarkie: Trial Trenching Evaluation - Data Structure Report, Feature 3 (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG25289.

<2> Thom, J, 2011, '8: Assessment of Animal Bone' in No. 5 Marine Terrace, Rosemarkie: Trial Trenching Evaluation - Data Structure Report (Text/Report). SHG25291.