The site of the Lochlee crannog was a small lake, which formerly
occupied about nineteen acres of what is now, and has been for many
years, arable land, on the farm of Lochlee, near Tarbolton. Before it
was artificially drained, some fifty years ago, no one appears to have
surmised that a small island, which became visible in the summer-time,
and formed a safe habitation for gulls and other sea-birds during
their breeding season, had been formerly the residence of man; nor
does it appear to have attracted the attention of the poet Burns, who
lived on this farm for four years as ploughman to his father, then
tenant of the place. The crannog was near the outlet, of the lake,
and the nearest land, its southern bank, was about seventy-five yards
distant. When the first drainage of the lake was carried out, the
wrought woodwork exposed in the drains running through the island, and
especially the discovery of two canoes buried in the moss, attracted
some attention. It was not, however, till 1878, in consequence of some
discoveries during the re-drainage of the locality, that this most
important crannog was investigated.
[Illustration: =Fig. 135.=--General View of Site of Lochlee Crannog.]
The general appearance which it presented before the excavations were
commenced, as seen in =Fig. 135=, was that of a grassy knoll, drier,
firmer, and slightly more elevated than the surrounding field. Towards
the margin of this mound were seen the tops of a few wooden piles,
barely projecting above the grass, which at once suggested the idea
that they might be portions of a stockaded island.
[Illustration: =Fig. 136.=--Mortised Beam with portion of an Upright
(1/24) and a Wooden Peg (⅛).]
[Illustration: =Fig. 137.=--Sketch showing part of surrounding
Stockade with Mortised Beams.]
The diameter of the island was about one hundred feet; and its
superficies was thus occupied:--In the centre was a flat circular area
about sixty feet in diameter. Then followed a double line of upright
piles from 2 to 3 feet apart. These were bound together by short
transverse beams with a hole, generally square, at each end (=Fig.
136=), into which the tops of the uprights penetrated, while others
stretched along the circumference forming a firm network. The surface
of these horizontal binders was about three feet above the level of
the inner area, and thus the stockade presented the appearance of a
breastwork. At the north-east corner this arrangement was more perfect
than elsewhere (see sketch, =Fig. 137=) and constituted what was
supposed to have been a landing stage, as from it a neatly-constructed
flooring of wood extended for some yards inwards. Outside the stockade
on the north side there was a mass of brushwood and stakes forming a
kind of trellis-work, as if intended for further protection to the
island. In the centre of the inner area there was a square portion,
measuring 39 feet on each side, covered with closely laid beams
of split stems of trees having the appearance and size of railway
sleepers, which appeared to have been the flooring of a wooden
house. This log-pavement (as we called it) had been Surrounded by a
wooden wall, the stumps of which then only remained, and a line of
similar stumps ran across it, from east to west, thus bisecting the
building into two nearly equal compartments. The sides of this wooden
foundation looked towards the four cardinal points, and its corners
just reached to the surrounding stockades. On the surface of the
wooden pavement were found some fragments of curiously worked beams
and some large broad boards. Some were grooved and had also square-cut
holes, in which both transverse and upright beams could be mortised.
(See sketch, =Fig. 138=.) A doorway, the stumps of the sideposts of
which were readily distinguished, opened to the south; and in front,
but more to the left, was an extensive refuse heap, in which many
relics were found. This midden occupied the space between the south
margin of the log-pavement and the surrounding stockades--some 10 or
12 feet in breadth by about double that in length.
[Illustration: =Fig. 138.=--Grooved and Mortised Beams lying over
Log-Pavement.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 139.=--Perpendicular Section through the Three
lowest Hearths.]
About the middle of the northern half of the log-pavement was found
a remarkable series of four hearths, or fire-places, superimposed
one above the other. The lowest was placed a little above the
log-pavement, and had a layer of stones, clay, and earth intervening
between it and the wood. About one and a half foot higher there was a
second hearth; at a similar interval, a third; and at 2½ feet still
higher, a fourth. These hearths were formed of small boulders laid
closely together, like a stone causeway, embedded in, and surrounded
by, a layer of clay (=Fig. 139=). They were oval or circular in shape
and about four feet in diameter. The corresponding layers of clay
extended considerably beyond the limits of the hearths around which
they appeared to form a flooring. The third hearth (counting from
below upwards) had been more elaborately constructed than the others,
and it was surrounded by a number of stumps of stout uprights which
no doubt were the remains of a secondary building, as their lower
ends did not penetrate much beyond the level of the hearth. The space
underneath the clay bed corresponding to this hearth, and extending
downwards to the log-pavement, was, next to the refuse heap, the most
prolific in relics. In it were found, about the level of the second
fire-place, nearly the entire skeletons of two animals like a goat or
sheep, the skulls of which had short horn-cores attached to them.
_Gangway._--Beyond the midden, outside the island, the tops of a few
piles were detected, and upon making exploratory excavations, these
turned out to be the remains of a gangway. As this structure was very
peculiar and somewhat comparable to the wooden structures described
by Virchow and others in the German Pfahlbauten, I will here quote
my original description of it _in extenso_. (See plan and sections,
facing page 416):--
"We commenced this inquiry by excavating a rectangular space, 30 feet
long, 16 feet broad, and 3 to 4 feet deep, in the line of direction
indicated by the piles, and exposed quite a forest of oak stakes.
Other trenches were then made with exactly similar results. The stakes
thus revealed did not at first appear to conform to any systematic
arrangement, but by-and-by we detected, in addition to six single
piles, small groups of three, four, and five, here and there at short
intervals. This observation, however, conveyed little or no meaning,
so that we could form no opinion as to the manner in which they
were used. Up to this point no trace of mortised beams was anywhere
to be seen. In all these trenches the stuff dug up was of the same
character. First or uppermost was a bed of fine clay rather more than
2 feet thick, and then a soft dark substance formed of decomposed
vegetable matter. The source of the latter was evident from the
occurrence in its upper stratum of large quantities of leaves, some
stems, branches, and the roots of stunted trees _in situ_. The tops
of the piles in the trench next the crannog were from 2 to 3 feet
below the surface of the field, but they rose gradually as we receded
from the crannog, and in the trench next the shore one or two were
found on a level with the grass. About 4 feet deep the stuff at the
bottom of the trench was so soft that a man could scarcely stand on it
without sinking ankle-deep. It was not nearly so heavy as the upper
strata, but more adhesive, and of a nutty-brown colour, which, on
exposure, quickly turned dark. Notwithstanding the flabbiness of this
material, the piles felt quite firm, and this fact, together with the
experience derived from our examination of the deeper structures of
the island, led to the supposition that the piles must terminate in
some more solid basis than had yet been made apparent. To remove all
doubts on this point, though a long iron rod could be easily pushed
downwards without meeting any resistance, we ordered a large deep
shaft to be dug in the line of the piles, and the cutting nearest the
crannog was selected for this purpose. This was accomplished with much
difficulty, but we were amply rewarded by coming upon an elaborate
system of woodwork, which I found no less difficult to comprehend than
it now is to describe. The first horizontal beam was reached about 7
feet deep, and for other 3 feet we passed through a complete network
of similar beams, lying in various directions. Below this--_i.e._ 10
feet from the surface--the workmen could find no more beams and the
lake silt became harder and more friable. We then cleared a larger
area, so as, if possible, to exhibit the structural arrangement of the
woodwork. The reason of grouping the piles now became apparent. The
groups were placed in a somewhat zig-zag fashion near the sides of the
gangway, and from each there radiated a series of horizontal beams,
the ends of which crossed each other and were kept in position by the
uprights. One group was carefully inspected. The first or lowest beam
observed was right across, the next lay lengthways and of course at
right angles to the former, then three or four spread out diagonally
like a fan, and terminated in other groups at the opposite side of the
gangway, and lastly, one again lay lengthways. Thus each beam raised
the level of the general structure the exact height of its thickness,
though large lozenge-shaped spaces remained in the middle quite clear
of any beams. The general breadth of the portion of this unique
structure examined was about 10 feet (but an isolated pile was noticed
farther out), and its thickness varied from 3 to 4 feet. A large oak
plank, some 10 feet long, showing the marks of the sharp-cutting
instrument by which it was formed, was found lying on edge at its west
side, and beyond the line of piles, but otherwise no remains of a
platform were seen. All the beams and stakes were made of oak, and so
thoroughly bound together that, though not a single joint, mortise, or
pin was discovered, the whole fabric was as firm as a rock. No relics
were found in any of the excavations along the line of this gangway."
(B. 373, pp. 99-101.)
_Structure of the Island._--Having now collected the chief facts
regarding the log-pavement, its surrounding structures and
superincumbent materials, we determined to sink a shaft about the
centre of the crannog for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible,
the thickness, composition, and mode of structure, of the island
itself. This shaft was rectangular in form, and large enough to
allow three men to work in it together. (See plan and sections, page
416.) After removing the three or four layers of oak planks which
constituted this portion of the log-pavement, we came upon a thin
layer of brushwood, and then large trunks of trees laid in regular
beds or layers, each layer having its logs lying parallel to each
other, but transversely or sometimes obliquely to those of the layer
immediately above or below it. At the west end of the trench, after
removing the first and second layers of the log-pavement, we found
part of a small canoe hollowed out of an oak trunk, evidently part of
an old worn-out one, thus economised and used instead of a prepared
log. Much progress in this kind of excavation was by no means an easy
task, as it was necessary to keep two men constantly pumping the
water which copiously flowed from all directions into the trench, and
even then there always remained some at the bottom. As we advanced
downwards we encountered layer upon layer of the trunks of trees
with the branches closely chopped off, and so soft that the spade
easily cut through them. Birch was the prevailing kind of wood, but,
occasionally, beams of oak were found with holes at their extremities,
through which pegs of oak penetrated into other holes in the logs
beneath. One such peg, some three or four inches in diameter, was
found to pass through no less than four beams in successive layers,
and to terminate ultimately in a round trunk over thirteen inches in
diameter. One of the oak beams was extracted entire, and measured
8 feet 3 inches in length and 10 inches in breadth, and the holes
in it were 5 feet apart. Others had small round projecting bars,
which fitted into mortised holes in adjacent beams. Down to a depth
of about four feet the logs ware rudely split, but below this they
were round rough trunks, with the bark still adhering to them. Their
average diameter would be from six inches to one foot, and amongst
them were some curiously gnarled stems occasionally displaying large
knotty protuberances. Of course, in the act of digging the trench
the wood was cut up into fragments, and, on being uncovered, its
fibres had a natural and even fresh-like appearance, but in a few
minutes after exposure to the air the freshly cut pieces became as
black as ink. Amongst the _débris_ thrown up from a depth of 6 feet
below the log-pavement I picked up the larger portion of a broken
hammer-stone or polisher, which, from the worn appearance presented
by its fractured edges, must have been used subsequently to its
breakage. After considerable labour, when indeed the probability of
total discomfiture in reaching the bottom was freely talked of, our
most energetic foreman at last announced, after cutting through a
large flat trunk 14 inches thick, that underneath this he could find
no trace of further woodwork. The substance removed from below the
lowest logs consisted of a few twigs of hazel brushwood, embedded in
a dark, firm, but friable and somewhat peaty soil, which we concluded
to be the silt of the lake deposited before the foundations of the
crannog were laid. The depth of this solid mass of woodwork, measuring
from the surface of the log-pavement, was 9 feet 10 inches, or about
sixteen feet from the surface of the field. Amongst the very last
spadefuls pitched from this depth was found nearly one half of a
well-formed and polished ring made of shale, the external and internal
diameters of which were 3½ and 2 inches respectively.