Field Visit
Date 28 October 1971
Event ID 547240
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/547240
NM 923 349 The Black Crofts are situated on the SE perimeter of the Moss of Achnacree. Behind two of the crofts, there are the remains of an old field bank which was built on the old land surface beneath the peat and thus ante-dates the formation of the moss. Three trenches were dug by officers of the RCAHM in order to examine this feature which is visible behind Croft No 3 as a low bank, about 1.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres in height. It may be traced from the edge of the moss for a length of 62 metres, beyond which it has been destroyed by recent building.
A short stretch of similar bank, running obliquely to the first, is visible 88 metres WNW behind Croft No 1.
The main bank was 1.5 metres wide and was covered by peat to depth of 1.1 metres. It consisted of a core of earth and stones revetted on either side by granite boulders. The core material had been scooped out of quarry ditches on either side and a deposit of grey silt in the ditches suggested that they later served as drainage channels.
The RCAHM suggest the field bank was constructed in the middle of the second millenium BC.
Further excavations were carried out in 1974 and 1976, during which a third bank was discovered.
A new housing estate has been built in the area partly covering the area of interest. The banks were not located.
Visited by OS (DWR) 28 October 1971.
