Crannog

“ The area occupied by the crannog was an Irish acre—the longer axis being nearly north and south—and it was enclosed by piling composed principally of birch, retaining the bark. These birch poles, on the end inserted into the ground, had usually a wedge-shaped outline; some of the smaller trees seem to have been cut down by a single blow, and driven into the ground without further sharpening. Piles of oak which also occurred in the crannog were much better pointed, tapering regularly in some cases from their extremity for four feet upwards. ”

“ That the structure in question occupied a crannog will be sufficiently obvious to any inquirer who examines the model of it preserved in the Royal Irish Academy. The stakes represented in situ, to the left of the illustration (plate II.) , are plainly remains of the stockade, one timber of which appears in the foreground; and, in the sides of the drain made to carry off the water from the excavation, Captain Mudge observed a number of ends of large oak logs placed in regular order, portion evidently of the usual crannog foundation. ”

“ In the enumeration of various kinds of fortresses repaired by Brian Borumha, crannogs are included, as recorded in a well-known Irish ms. entitled “The Wars of the Gaedhiel with the Gaill.” In it mention is made of four crannogs, one being near Knockany, county Limerick, and situated in Lough Cend, now drained; also the celebrated crannog in Lough Gur, in the same county. The site of the crannog of Loch Saiglend has not been identified; [178] the site of Inis-an-ghaill-duibh (i. e. the island of the black foreigner or Dane, [179] ) is unknown, or at least uncertain ”

“ The Irish crannog, great or small, was simply an island, either altogether or in part artificial, strongly staked with piles of oak, pine, yew, alder, or other timber, encompassed by rows of palisading (the bases of which now usually remain) , behind which the occupiers of the hold might defend themselves with advantage against assailants. Within the enclosure were usually one or more log-houses, which no doubt afforded shelter to the dwellers during the night-time, or whenever the state of the weather necessitated a retreat under cover. ”

“ Clogherny, in the parish of this name, in the barony of East Omagh. The Rev. R. V. Dixon, D.D., thus notices the discovery of a crannog situated in a bog on the borders of the townland of Roscavey. About eight or ten feet below the surface turf-cutters laid bare the tops of a row of oaken planks which described a circle about seventy feet in diameter. These planks were from eight inches to fourteen inches in width, and from three inches to five inches in thickness, roughly split from the log, the lower extremities pointed and driven ten or twelve inches into the ground ”

“ Drumdarragh, otherwise Trillick, has been recently thoroughly examined by W. F. Wakeman, whose report, accompanied by numerous drawings of remains discovered within the crannog, is prepared for publication in the Journal of the Royal Hist. and Arch. Association of Ireland. To the Museum of that Society the Earl of Enniskillen, in 1875, presented an oak paddle found at Drumdarragh crannog, in company with a single-tree canoe that had been unfortunately destroyed. ”

“ This relic is preserved in the Petrie Collection, R. I. A. It is curious to find a shell of any marine species within the bounds of a crannog situated many miles inland; and with it were shells of limpets and baccinums, together with numerous portions of fictile ware. [225] Around the crannog were several single-tree canoes, and near the centre there were two human skeletons lying at full length; the country people would not allow them to be removed ”

“ Lisnacroghera crannog lies at a little distance from Broughshane, in the parish of Skerry, barony of Antrim. About the year 1882, workmen employed in cutting turf—bared by the partial drainage of the lough—came upon oaken timbers laid in regular order; unfortunately nearly all were removed before anyone acquainted with the peculiarities of crannog structure had seen them, and in the autumn of 1883, most of the timbers had disappeared, though a few of the encircling piles remained in position. ”

“ Fringe-like Objects.—Another object which has excited considerable curiosity is an apparatus made like a fringe by simply plaiting together at one end the long stems of a kind of moss (Fig. 151) . Portions of similar articles were found in three different parts of the crannog, and all deeply buried. [134] The one figured here, and the most neatly formed, was found in the relic-bed; another about a couple of yards north of the fireplace, and others at the south-west side, a little external to the area of the log pavement. ”

“ On looking at these beams carefully it was observed that many of them, especially those made of oak, had also holes at their extremities, and that the plan of being linked and fixed together by stout wooden pins was by no means peculiar to the marginal portion of the crannog. Here, however, they lay mostly in a radial position, and on the south side; some were distinctly seen to be joined with the uprights in the inner circle with [199] one end, while the outer, which pointed to the centre, was firmly pinned to the wood below. ”

“ The tops of numerous piles are frequently visible in summer-time.
Killynure (the wood of the yews) is a small lakelet, distant a mile from Enniskillen, on the Tempo road. It contains a crannog which is usually flooded.
Lough Acrussel is situated near Enniskillen. The crannog was found standing in deep water; but after a continuance of dry weather the piling all around could be distinctly seen, and the posts were, as a rule, connected by horizontal beams. Near the centre of the island there was a large flag-stone that had evidently been used as a hearth. ”

“ In 990 a violent tempest “sunk the island of Lough Cimbe (now Lough Hackett) suddenly, dreach and rampart, i. e. thirty feet;” this crannog was afterwards rebuilt by Brian Borumha.
With the Danes, the struggle in Ireland between invaders and invaded was carried on as much in the lakes and rivers as on terra firma. Of the importance attached to crannogs during this contest many instances might be given, but a few will here suffice. In 984 “the islands of Connaught were destroyed by these marauders.” In 933 the crannog of Lagore in Meath was burnt by them ”

“ Objects made of Stone; (2) Objects of Bone; (3) Objects of Deer's Horn; (4) Objects of Wood; (5) Objects of Metal; (6) Miscellaneous Objects—Professor Rolleston's Report on the Osseous Remains—The Flora of the Crannog, by Dr. Bayley Balfour—Concluding Remarks,—On position of Relics—Character of Wood-work—Level of Lake and subsidence of the Island Pages 68-151
CHAPTER IV.
SUBSEQUENT RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES AT FRIAR'S CARSE, LOCHSPOUTS, BARHAPPLE, AND BUSTON.
I. Notes of a Crannog at Friar's Carse,—Relics found in the Loch and on the Island. ”

“ The horn-cores are not so large at the base, but more than twice as long as those of the “straight-horned” race; they are curved considerably inwards, so that the tips of the horns, when perfect, must have approached much nearer than their bases. Each horn-core was, when perfect, about eleven inches long.” This head, together with many similar crania, came from the crannog of Lough Gur, county Limerick. ”

“ Lough Arrow.—Not far from the old Abbey of Ballindoon is an artificial island formed almost entirely of stones; the earth—in which a few young firs are now growing—was brought to it by the late proprietor, J. Gethin. This crannog, the largest of a group, still stands well above the surface of the lake. To the north—but separated from it by a deep and narrow channel—is a shoal called “Sunken Island,” which is in summer weather almost dry, and around both these sites were numerous fractured bones of the Bos longifrons, Cervus elaphus, and Sus scrofa. ”

“ According to the same authority, a sub-chief of the present county Monaghan, named Mac Kenna, resided in a crannog either on the lake of Glaslough or that of Erny in the parish of Donagh. The map is so rough that it is difficult to decide which of the lakes is intended. Francis Jobson likewise represents the residence of a chieftain named Brian Mahon, as a crannog on Lough Rouskey, in the parish of Killeevan. In 1588 Aedh O’Donnell and nine of his followers were murdered in the crannog of Mongavlin, parish of Taughboyne, county Donegal. ”

“ In most of the districts in which these islands were found several small lakes are clustered together. In Connaught, near the demesne of Longford, county Sligo, the residence of Sir Malby Crofton, Bart., in a small pond, almost dry in summer, there is an islet, still called by the country people “crannog:” it has bequeathed its name to the townland in which [Pg 28] it is situated, i.e. “Lochanacrannog,” signifying the little lake of the crannog. ”

“ James, on crannogs in Loch Canmor, 22. Wheat found in Swiss lake-dwellings, 13. Wheel used in making crannog pottery, 281. Whetstones or hones, 35, 44, 49, 104, 127, 170, 185, 211, 310. Whorls. See Spindle-whorls. Wilde, Sir W. R., quoted, 6, 7, 11. —— on antiquity of Irish crannogs, 10. —— on crannog at Lagore, 5. —— on submergence of Irish crannogs, 275. Wilson, Rev. George, on crannogs in Wigtownshire, 55, 183, 247. Wilson's Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, 67, 229. Wood, objects made of, 43, 74, 80, 81, 88, 93, 117, 133, 177, 185, 206, 221, 310. [326] Wooden islands, structure of, 259, 261. ”

“ To this bill of fare the occupiers of Lochspouts crannog, being comparatively near the sea, added several kinds of shell-fish. In all the lake-dwellings that have come under my own observation, the broken shells of hazel-nuts were in profuse abundance.
From the number of querns and the great preponderance of the bones of domestic over those of wild animals, it may be inferred that, for subsistence, they depended more on the cultivation of the soil and the rearing of cattle, sheep, and pigs, than on the produce of the chase. ”

“ Spindle Whorl.—One spindle whorl (made of fine sandstone) is 13⁄4 inch in diameter and 5⁄8 inch thick (Fig. 165) .
Polished Discs. [32] —Two of these interesting objects have turned up on this crannog. One, though wanting a small segment of being a complete circle, is evidently unbroken, as it presents in its whole perimeter a finely cut edge. It is composed of a whitish micaceous stone, quite smooth on [173] both surfaces, but has no glossy appearance. It measures 41⁄2 inches in diameter, and has a uniform thickness of a quarter of an inch (Fig. 166) . ”

“ The shells are those of the ordinary edible shell-fish, the mussel being the most common. The bones are chiefly those of deer, and the small Highland sheep still found on the island. The only implement I found was part of a stag's horn, with the brow-antler thinned. Three hollowed stone vessels or knocking-stones were found on the surface, but they were destroyed or lost sight of. A causeway of large stones under water led to the crannog."
[61]
Fig 31.—Canoe found in Loch Arthur. ”

“ It was found near a crannog in Craigywarren bog, parish of Skerry, county Antrim. Fig. 131, from Lagore, is unique; its entire length is 3 inches, and it has three rings passing through apertures in the elongated head, which is the only part here repr [Pg 111] esented; its inferior extremity is decorated with a cross-like ornamentation. ”

“ Bones of the Magaceros Hibernicus, or Irish big-horn, of the wolf and fox, of a small breed of horse, and of the ass, have been also met with. The remains of sheep belong to the horned class. There are several specimens of the four-horned variety of the goat (fig. 42) , but those of the ordinary kind are more numerous: figs. 40 and 41 are from Dunshaughlin. Amongst the vast collection of animal remains on the site of this crannog were heads of canine animals: of the largest of these the accompanying cut gives a faithful representation. ”

“ Crannoges are artificial islets raised above the level of certain lakes in Ireland and Scotland20 by means of a series of layers of earth and stone, and strengthened by piles, some upright, others laid down lengthwise. Wylde counted forty-six in Ireland in his time, some of them of considerable extent. That of Ardkellin Lough (Roscommon) is surrounded by a wall of dry stones resting on piles. In other places have been found the remains of stockades very intelligently set up in such a manner as to break the force of the shock of the water. ”

“ A canoe at Cahore, in Wexford, was twenty-two feet in length, two-and-a-half feet across amidships, and eleven inches in depth (plate IV. fig. 1) . At a place called Cornagall, about six miles from Cavan, was found one more than half consumed by the conflagration which had destroyed the crannog itself; in the bottom of this boat lay a complete set of tools, belonging to an ancient craftsman who had lived at a period subsequent to the adoption of iron tools. ”

“ George Wilson, Glenluce, contributed a paper to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Proceedings, vol. ix. p. 368) , on the Crannogs and Lake-Dwellings in Wigtownshire, from which it would appear [56] that all the lakes in this locality were once literally studded with these island habitations. He enumerates no less than ten lakes, each of which contained one or more crannogs. The abundant remains of stakes, mortised beams, and the occasional discovery of a "paved ford" connecting the islands with the shore, sufficiently indicate their structural formation ”