Lochspouts is a small lake basin, about three miles to the south-west
of Maybole, somewhat oval in shape, and ensconced at the base of hilly
ground, which encompasses it, except towards the north, where a narrow
trap-dike runs across and cuts it off from the open valley beyond.
It is thus a natural dam, formed in the face of a declivity, which,
beyond the trap-ridge, still continues to slope rapidly downwards
for a few hundred yards. No outlet could therefore at any time exist,
except along this barrier, and an inspection of its present condition
reveals several deep gashes through which at one time the surplus
water made its escape. Indeed, some of the oldest inhabitants state
that the name "Lochspouts" was given to it because, in former times,
during heavy floods, its waters spouted across this ridge at different
points. Within the recollection of some of them an artificial cutting
was made through the rocky outlet, with the view of utilising its
waters for a "walk-mill," an operation which reduced the level of the
lake about ten feet, and its area to about two acres. A small island
must have then appeared, but, apparently, its nature was unsuspected;
and so it remained till 1879, when Mr. James Macfadzean recognised
it as the site of an ancient lake-dwelling. This singular and, when
surrounded by primeval forests, secluded little lake is now restored
to its pristine dimensions; but its water, instead of acting as a
defence to an island fortress, or propelling a primitive water-wheel,
forms a reservoir for the domestic supply of the town of Maybole. The
necessary alterations entailed by this transformation of the home of
the crannog-builders--one of which was to clear out the accumulated
_débris_ of many a jovial feast in which, judging from the osseous
remnants, pigs, oxen, and sheep were no rarity-came very opportunely,
as it enabled archæologists to complete an investigation which was
in the first instance initiated through the liberality of Sir James
Fergusson, the proprietor.
The remains of the crannog, in the form of a low circular mound
overgrown with coarse grass, lay at the north side of the lake, near
the middle portion of the rocky ridge, and so close to the present
margin that it formed a peninsula easily approached on _terra firma_.
At first the only possible investigation was to remove the _débris_
down to the level of the water, and in the course of this operation
the following facts were ascertained:--
(1) _Composition of the Mound._--The surface of the mound was composed
of coarse grass, having tough matted roots spreading in a thin
layer of soil, which overlay about a foot and a half of stones and
rubbish, in which no relics were found. Below this the materials were
of a very variable character; sometimes vegetable mould, stems of
grasses jointed like straw, and beds of heather and moss, which could
readily be separated into layers; and at other times heaps of ashes
and charcoal mixed with quantities of the shells of whelks, limpets,
and hazel-nuts. Intermingled with this heterogeneous mass were large
and small stones, broken bones, portions of deer-horns, and various
relics. Though several ash-heaps were distinctly discernible in the
vicinity of the hearths, no regular refuse-heap was met with; and the
broken bones and horns seemed to be dispersed over the general area of
the crannog.
(2) _Log-Pavement._--About five feet deep (measuring from the
centre of the mound), and only a few inches above the level of
the surrounding water, there was exposed a rude, imperfect, and
irregularly shaped wooden pavement, formed of flattened oak-beams.
It covered only the central portion of the area contained within
the circle of piles, the rest being laid with branches and stems
of trees. On digging beneath this log-pavement large beams and
brushwood were generally encountered, but the voluminous gushing up
of water prevented reliable observations from being made regarding
these deeper structures. Occasionally ashes and charcoal were turned
up, and in one spot near the centre, and under my own inspection,
the men succeeded in digging downwards more than two feet below the
log-pavement before the water oozed up, in the course of which nothing
was turned out but pure ashes, bits of charcoal, and large quantities
of the shells of limpets and common whelks. At the bottom of this
hole were solid oak-beams, apparently flattened; but no sooner were
their surfaces exposed than the water rushed in and filled the trench.
These observations gave rise to the conjecture that this understratum
represented the accumulated _débris_ of another, and, of course, an
older, period of human occupancy--a conjecture which also derived some
support from the fact that the surface of the log-pavement was on a
higher level than the tops of the encircling piles.
(3) _Hearths._--Over the log-pavement, and a few yards apart from each
other, were three circular hearths, each about five feet in diameter,
formed of flat stones embedded in a bed of yellow clay, and raised on
a sort of pedestal composed of clay and stones, to the extent of one
to one-and-a-half foot. One of them, on being demolished, was found to
have been built directly over a former similarly constructed hearth,
with an interval of about a foot. These hearths were situated near the
centre of the crannog, but on its southern half--i.e. the semicircle
farthest from the shore.
(4) _Gangway._--On making a few trial trenches in the space directly
between the shore and the crannog in search of a gangway, we could
find no indications of woodwork. One day, however, my attention was
directed to a portion of the log-pavement which looked like a wooden
roadway projecting to the margin of the island, and pointing in a
north-western direction, towards a prominence in the trap-ridge.
Observing also, that, before the lake was lowered, this prominence
would be the nearest land to the crannog, it immediately struck me
that, if there was a gangway at all, it would be found along this
line. Hypothesis was right this time. The adhesive nature of the lake
sediment prevented the water from oozing up so quickly as it did on
the crannog, so that we were enabled to expose the woodwork several
feet below the level of the lake. Close to the crannog the upper beams
of the gangway were about three feet below the surface of the grass;
but as we neared the shore with the digging they became less buried,
and some of the uprights were found even projecting above the ground.
The general plan on which this gangway was constructed appeared to
be identical with that adopted by the crannog-builders of Lochlee.
Upright piles, singly and in groups, were placed in a zig-zag fashion,
between, and from which, the horizontal beams stretched, fan-like,
and so formed a sort of latticework, with empty lozenge-shaped spaces
between.
From one of these holes, or meshes, some five feet below the surface
of the ground, a fine granite quern-stone was extracted. The piles
projected some two feet or more above the body of the gangway; but
there was no appearance of a subaqueous or superaqueous platform.
It would thus appear that its upper transverses were originally
under water--a remark equally applicable to the analogous remains at
Lochlee--but to what depth the wooden structures reached could not be
ascertained.
_Further Excavations._--In order to facilitate the projected
operations of clearing out the bed of the lake the Engineers of the
Maybole Waterworks caused the rocky outlet to be cut down to the
extent of 3 feet, which thus enabled them to remove a corresponding
section of the crannog. The result of this was to show, as was
conjectured from the facts ascertained in the previous explorations,
that there was, about 2½ feet underneath the log-pavement and
its hearths already described, another habitable zone with its
log-pavement, mortised beams, etc., together with various relics of
human industry. It would appear that this was the original surface of
the crannog, as it corresponded with the surrounding stockades, some
of which were found in position. Others were seen among a heap of wood
collected from the excavated _débris_, amongst which were a few of the
ordinary transverses containing square-cut holes at their extremities.
One thick beam was deeply grooved and resembled the one found at
Lochlee. (See =Fig. 138.=) A few large flat planks, having a round
handle-like projection some 18 inches long at one end, had only one
square-cut hole, placed sometimes close to this handle, and at other
times at the opposite extremity. Another stout oak beam, 6 feet long,
contained a series of round holes about an inch in diameter, and from
5 to 6 inches apart. The holes, which were on the broad side of the
beam, were about two inches in depth, but only penetrated half through
it, and from one of them a portion of a wooden pin was extracted.
This beam was in a fragmentary condition, being, like many others,
partially charred.