Vol. 113 (2026): A Middle Bronze Age settlement near Mauchline, East Ayrshire

A Middle Bronze Age settlement near Mauchline, East Ayrshire

Authors: Stephen Cox and Fraser McFarlane

Contributors: Laura Bailey, Beverley Ballin Smith FSAScot, Michael Bamforth, Julie Franklin FSAScot, Julie Lochrie and Fiona McGibbon

Summary: The excavation of a parcel of land north of Mauchline, East Ayrshire, in advance of a housing development uncovered evidence of human activity from the Neolithic to the post-medieval period. The Neolithic period was represented by a well-preserved assemblage of charred hazelnuts and crab apples in a pit. During the later prehistoric period, the main focus of activity comprised a roundhouse and a souterrain within a fenced enclosure. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the roundhouse and the souterrain indicated a Middle Bronze Age date for these features, strongly suggesting that souterrains existed in this part of Scotland much earlier than previously thought. 

Keywords: Souterrains, Middle Bronze Age, Ayrshire, radiocarbon dating, enclosure, Neolithic

Location: Isle of Arran, NR 9149 2685

Periods: Neolithic, Bronze Age

NRHE ID: 365701

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence.