Erection of dwelling house, Easter Unthank Farm, Duffus, Moray, Archaeological Watching Brief, Data Structure Report

The total watching brief area comprised circa 1271 m2 and included the development area for the proposed new house (as per the WSI, Murray 2022) as well as areas to the south and west (Figure 2). The primary development area measured circa 850 m2 and included the application boundary as well as land immediately to the south which will be disturbed by associated infrastructure, such as service trenches. A further area to the west, which lay within the new fence line, was also topsoil stripped which equated to approximately 421 m2. The primary development area was found to have been badly truncated by 20th century farming activities. Some areas outwith the development footprint were also investigated, and an area immediately to the west of the application boundary was confirmed to contain archaeological features cut in to natural. A buried medieval soil horizon (SUERC-108502, 576 and 647 calAD at 95.4% probability) was also noted within the surrounding agricultural fields, in addition to a small spread of Neolithic material (SUERC-108503, 3364 to 3102 calBC at 95.4% probability) at the base of the soil sequence. The charcoal content of the Neolithic deposit represents the pre- occupation tree coverage rather than directly related to an initial occupation of the site. The cultivation soil has been shown to represent a prolonged occupation of the site throughout the medieval period, with an apparent hiatus afterward. No further archaeological fieldwork is required on the site in relation to the current development footprint.