EHG5894 - Trial trenching - housing development, Chapelton Farm, Balloch

A trial trenching evaluation was carried out by AOC Archaeology Group in 2021 at Chapelton Farm, Balloch, Inverness in advance of the construction of new housing and installation of associated infrastructure. The evaluation was required due to the presence of known archaeological sites within the immediate area. Fifty-two trenches were excavated across the proposed development site, sampling an area totalling 4,480m² (8% of the 55,490m² development area). Three fire pits, two possible postholes and two pits were uncovered in Field 1 at the western side of the Site and six pits were uncovered in Field 2 at the eastern side of the Site. A metal detector survey of 50% of the trenches was completed. An archaeological watching brief was recommended for future ground-breaking works, and a programme of post-excavation analysis of the environmental samples and specialist review of the artefacts was recommended. <1> A watching brief was subsequently carried out on the western area in 2022 (see EHG5940) and the eastern area in 2023 (see EHG6243). For the small assemblage of archaeological material recovered from the site, a programme of post-excavation analysis, including radiocarbon dating, was subsequently undertaken for the two areas of trial trenching and the western watching brief area. This returned dates ranging from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Medieval periods. <2>