About half-way between Stewarton and Kilmaurs there is a shallow
basin of meadow-land which formerly, according to Blaeu's Atlas, was
the bed of a lake of considerable size called Loch Buston. Within
the recollection of the present generation this area was a mossy bog
in summer and a sheet of water in winter; and about fifty years ago,
when the present tenant, Mr. Robert Hay, came to reside on the farm,
there was a small mound situated about its centre known as the _Swan
Knowe_, on account of the number of wild swans that formerly used to
frequent it. When subsequently engaged in reclaiming the bog, Mr. Hay
states that as many as thirteen cart-loads of timber were removed from
the "Knowe," and he distinctly remembers that, in consequence of the
difficulty of detaching some of the mortised beams, his father made
the remark, "there maun hae been dwellers here at ae time." He also
states that until the land was thoroughly redrained, a few years ago,
there was still a considerable mound to be seen; but at the beginning
of December, 1880, when I first visited the locality, there was hardly
any elevation to distinguish it from the surrounding field.
Notwithstanding the havoc committed on the woodwork of the crannog
by a long exposure to atmospheric agencies before it finally sank
under the protective influence of the muddy water, and subsequently,
by the ruthless hands of the agriculturist, there still remained
sufficient materials to give one not only a general, but particular
and instructive notion of the mechanical principles on which the
island and its superincumbent structures were constructed. The general
results of the investigation may be categorically summed up as
follows:--
1. The island was composed of a succession of layers of the trunks
and branches of trees, intermingled in some places with stones, turf,
etc.; and the whole mass was firmly knit together by means of upright
piles and horizontal beams arranged in three, and in one part four,
concentric circles.
2. The outer circle was intended more for protection than for giving
stability to the island, and in some parts, as at the east side of the
refuse-heap, the piles were closely set with their tops fixed into a
transverse beam after the manner of a stair-railing; while those of
the inner ones not only penetrated deeply and gave stability to the
island, but also were used as part of the wall of the central building.
3. The area enclosed by the stockades was slightly oval in shape,
measuring 61 feet by 56, and rudely paved with wooden beams, many of
which were firmly fixed to the lower woodwork by stout wooden pegs as
well as to the encircling stockades, thus affording here and there, as
it were, _points d'appui_.
4. While there was one general hearth situated near the centre,
evidence of one or two fire-places elsewhere was quite conclusive. One
of these appeared to have been a smelting-furnace, as it contained
flat stones much stained with fire-marks and several masses of heavy
slag.
[Illustration: =Fig. 157.=--General View of Crannog at Buston, looking
northwards.]
5. The entrance to the central area, which was determined by the
stumps of two massive door-posts, had a south-easterly aspect, and
in front of it there was a well-constructed wooden platform, made of
large oak planks supported on solid layers of wood, to which they were
pinned down.
6. Beyond this platform, and separated from it by a massive wooden
railing which was continuous with the inner circle of stockades, was
the refuse-heap; and to the right a wooden pathway, also protected on
its outer side, led downwards and westwards to the outer circle, where
there appeared to have been a landing-stage. (See =Figs. 157= and
=158=.) About twelve yards in advance of this stage, and 4 feet from
the surface of the field, a canoe was found buried in the ancient mud
of the lake (=Fig. 159=).
[Illustration: =Fig. 158.=--Portion of north side of Buston Crannog,
with the space between Inner and Second Circles of Piles dug out,
showing arrangement of Mortised Beams and structure of Island.]
This canoe was 22 feet long, 3 feet 6 inches broad at the stern,
widening to about four feet in the middle, and 1 foot 10 inches deep.
It is remarkable as showing evidence of having been repaired in two
places by neatly fitting pieces of oak planking, which were kept in
position by transverse ribs and wooden pins. The stern-piece was
movable and fitted into a groove in the sides of the boat. In the mud
removed from its interior were a few stones and portion of the skull
of an ox.
The refuse-heap occupied an oblong position immediately in front of
the southern entrance. It measured some 30 feet long by 15 or 20
broad, and 5 feet deep alongside the above-mentioned railing. Here
nearly all the relics and some massive bones were found. These bones
were abundantly impregnated with the mineral vivianite, both in its
amorphous and crystalline condition, but the specimens of crystals
here were much inferior to those from Lochlee. The position of the
refuse-heap is seen in the immediate foreground of =Fig. 157=, after
the removal of its contents, as a pit partially occupied with water.
[Illustration: =Fig. 159.=--Appearance of Canoe _in situ_ after
exposure.]
The crannog was about one hundred and fifty yards from the nearest
shore, and there was no trace of a gangway observed.