National Monuments Record of Scotland John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9NX Tel: 0131-662-1456 Fax: 0131-662-1477/1499 E-mail rcahms.jsh@gtnet.gov.uk

SMITTONS

Location

Archaeology Notes

NX 635917. A sub-rectangular turf-walled structure about 30 x 25 ft, with the remains of a ditch on two sides, is sited in marshy ground on river terrace. The turf is relatively fresh looking, yet immediately below the turf in the quarter of the site so far uncovered have been found many flints and chert flakes and a few possible worked flints and chert which may be mesolithic in date.

M L Ansell 1966

A barbed and tanged chert arrowhead was picked up on the surface of the site in 1969. All the material found is in Dumfries Museum.

M L Ansell 1969

NX 63529174. The construction and siting of this trapezoidal enclosure on low-lying ground is post-Medieval in character, and though its purpose is uncertain it is clearly domestic. The turf-covered bank is 1.0m wide and 0.8m high with a drainage gully 0.3m deep around the N and W sides. To the S, a linear bank, apparently contemporary extends for approximately 15.0m in an E-W direction. The turf cover of the internal NE quadrant has been removed by excavation, but no significant detail shows.

Visited by OS (JRL) 25 October 1978

Affleck is presumably alluding to this site when he notes, at NX 635 918: "A small (c.7m diameter) earth-banked enclosure overlies Mesolithic levels. During the trial excavation, no evidence for date or function of this construction was found.

Mesolithic occupation material was found above, on, and below the old gravel/ pebble surface. Flint and chert cores, blades, scrapers, microliths and debitage were recovered, with extremely small triangles, crescents and rods (c 10mm by 1.5mm) noteworthy. Charcoal fragments, including hazelnut shells, were widespread at all levels. Fire spots and an arc of stake holes were also recorded.

T Affleck 1983

The following radiocarbon determinations have been made on charred hazel nutshell:

Feature T1 4310+/- 80bc (OxA-1595)

Feature T3 3520+/- 80bc (OxA-1594)

NMRS MS/735/1

Collection Summary

Bibliography