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COLL'S CRANNOGS

Of the thousands of visitors that flock to Coll each year, few, if any, come to see its crannogs.

In May 1995 it was my mission, and vital to my Ph.D. in underwater archaeology, to find, inspect and survey every crannog on the island.

Only two previous surveys of these sites are recorded. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Erskine Beveridge, an amateur archaeologist, had attempted this task before me. Neither the Commission's staff nor their predecessor had gone into the water to do it. This was no easy task. It meant that I had to transport heavy diving equipment to, and physically swim in, every body of water on Coll. Quite a claim for anyone, besides a duck!

You might ask yourself why anyone would go to such lengths to study archaeological sites? Why are crannogs important? And what are these crannog things anyway? Let me attempt to explain.

An Introduction to Crannogs.

The term 'crannog' refers to small man-made islands which can be found in the majority of Scotland's lochs and inland waters. From the surface most crannogs look like uninteresting mounds of stone, from which timbers sometimes protrude. These small islands were constructed, and occasionally lived on by people, as recently as the 17th century. Today, crannogs are one of the most exciting and complex types of sites on which archaeologists work. From research carried out over the course of the last hundred years, archaeologists have discovered a substantial amount of information concerning the form, structure, date range, and location of crannogs.

Most crannogs are to some extent artificial. This means that it has taken a certain amount of human activity to create them. In some cases, small islands or natural bedrock outcrops were only slightly enlarged, requiring relatively little effort. In other cases, crannogs were created from scratch by piling up vast amounts of materials on the loch bed. This obviously required substantial effort and considerable time. Regardless of the effort the end product is always very similar - a small island, its surface protruding above the water, which owes its existence to human activity. Other features which have been noted on crannogs include: approach causeways from the shore, vertical wooden piles set into the loch bed, middens of discarded domestic waste, harbours and jetties.

Crannogs can take a variety of forms. Most are circular or oval, but differ greatly in size. Average surface diameters range between 15 and 30metres, although there are notable exceptions both larger and smaller. The materials used to build crannogs vary throughout Scotland. Crannogs found in the Hebrides seem to have been built primarily of stone whereas those found in mainland lochs were predominantly built of wood. Most of this variation has been ascribed to differences in local environments. In general, people used materials which were easy to come by or immediately at hand.

At the moment archaeologists believe that there are fundamentally two types of crannogs. One has a solid base and is literally an island, the other is a type of raised structure, such as a stilt house or dock. This later type stood above the water and was substantially taller. It is often impossible to tell which type of structure a particular crannog represented without excavating it.

Evidence suggests that crannogs have been used as habitation sites for a period longer than any other type of structure in Scotland's history. Literary evidence indicates that crannogs were still being used in remote areas of Scotland until the 17th century. Archaeological excavations have shown that crannogs were used during various periods between the Neolithic (4000-2000 RC), when farming was established in Scotland, and the Early Historic Period, the heyday of the Picts and Scots. This extensive time range makes it very hard to know when a particular crannog was in use.

Crannogs offer an unparalleled opportunity to recover information about Scotland's past. Because Scotland's lochs are so cold, and relatively bacteria free organic materials such as wood, seeds and plantfibres are often well-preserved. Recently a 2500 year old butterdish was found underwater on a crannog site. The amazing thing was that there was still butter in it. Such superb preservation helps archaeologists piece together what life on a crannog was actually like, in a way that can't be achieved on dryland sites. Crannogs are an important cultural resource and if properly managed they can give a unique view of Scotland's past.

Coll's Crannogs

The May survey confirmed that there were a total of nine crannogs on Coll, with another two sites being listed as 'possible' crannogs. This was some what short of the fourteen noted by Beveridge in 1903, but still represents a respectable number for a small island.

Most of the sites were partially covered by silt and peat which obscured their external features and eliminated the chances of finding timbers, by which the sites could be radiocarbon dated. Regardless of this, the survey was a great success and produced several findings which will contribute significantly to the archaeological record of the Inner Hebrides and crannog studies as a whole.

One of the primary benefits of the survey was the enhancement and clarification of previous work carried out by Beveridge (1903) and RCAHMS (1980). Many of the sites surveyed were found, from the diving inspection, to be substantially larger than previously reported.

Almost all the crannogs were oval in shape and ranged in size between 15.5m by 16m and 28m by 35m. This range would have made them ideal for habitation sites and corresponds with the average size of crannogs throughout Scotland. Almost all the crannogs previously noted were reported to be accessed by substantial stone causeways. Underwater investigation revealed that only six, in actual fact, were and that five of these had defensive features incorporated into them. The crannogs in Loch nan Cinneachan, Loch Anlaimh, Loch an Duin and Loch Cliad all have curves and bends in their causeways, which would have made them difficult to negotiate. If causeways were intended to be covered with several inches of water, these curves and bends would inhibit access to the crannog to those who did not know the correct route. The causeway to the probable crannog at Bally Hough has a series of three gaps incorporated into it, which would have served the same function. Defensive features such as these are common to crannogs throughout Scotland.

A close inspection of the crannogs revealed several features which were not previously identified and one very interesting artefact. Sections of walling which had previously been covered by peat were discovered on the crannogs in Loch Urbhaig and Loch Fada. The foundations of sub-rectangular buildings were confirmed on the crannogs in Loch Cliad and Loch Cinneachan.

The biggest find of the survey, however, was the discovery of a saddle quern on the crannog in Loch Anlaimh. Saddle querns are large stone bowls which were used to grind

Crannog Sites on Coll

Site Name: National Grid Reference:

Loch an Duin, crannog NM 2128 5785

Dun Anlaimh, Loch Cinneachan NM1883 5682

Eilean Anlainh, Loch Anlaimh NM 18895579

Breachacha, Crannog NM 1560 5300

Loch Cliad, #1 crannog NM 2072 5877

Loch Cliad, #2 crannog NM 2075 5884

Loch na Cloiche, crannog NM 2401 6107

Loch Fada, crannog NM 2561 6204

Loch Urbhaig, crannog NM 23125783

Bally Hough, (possible crannog) NM 17445845

Loch Cliad #3 (possible crannog) NM 2085 5847

grain into flour throughout prehistory until rotary versions were developed in the broch period. Although the quern was only found on the surface of the crannog, and not securely embedded in it, it is reasonable to assume that it was used on Coll if not on this particular site. The presence of this artefact may indicate that sections of Coll could have been under cultivation as early as 3000 years ago.

A link between farming and crannogs is also indicated in the positioning of Coll's crannog sites. Over 75% of the crannogs on Coll are located in valleys which display signs of past agricultural exploitation, such as lazybeds and regularly spaced furrows and rigs. Although it is impossible to prove a direct association between these field systems and crannogs, the frequency with which these locations correspond suggests that the crannogs have been purposely placed next to potentially agricultural land. This association is also evident at crannog sites on Mull and Tiree and in Loch Awe on the mainland.

Much work is still needed before definitive statements can be made regarding the nature and chronology of the crannogs on Coll. The fieldwork in May was a major step towards collecting data; now that data must be analysed. I hope to accomplish this task during the next year and will send a report of the results when I have a degree in hand. If anybody has any comments or questions concerning the crannogs of the island, or know of any information concerning the crannogs drop me a line in Edinburgh.

Full site reports for all of Coll's crannogs are available in the 1995 edition of Discovery and Excavation in Scotland published by the Council for Scottish Archaeology in Edinburgh.

Alternatively, full site reports and pictures are available on the Internet via World Wide Web at: http:/129.215.101.10/postgrad/holley /homepage.h tml.

References
Beveridge, Erskine. 1903 Coll & Tiree, Prehistoric Forts and Antiquities.
Edinburgh; T & A Constable.
RCAHMS 1980 Argyll: 3 Mull, Tiree, Coll & Northern Argyll.
Edinburgh: HMSO.

Mark W. Holley
Dept of Archaeology
The University of Edinburgh
Old High School 12,
Infirmary Street,
Edinburgh EHIILT