Moss Of Achnacree

NM93NW 14 9107 3669

(NM 9107 3669) Crannog (NR) (Site of)

(Undated) OS annotation.

Near the NW corner of the Moss of Achnacree it is still possible to detect the site of a crannog. It appears as an area of firmer ground rising a little above the level of a slight, boggy depression, the location of a former lake drained in the 18th century. Between 1869 and 1872 the site was investigated by Smith who found that the crannog was based on a foundation of at least four successive layers of timber and brushwood laid transversely to one another and extending over an area measuring about 18.3 metres across. On this foundation, there were the remains of a low turf bank enclosing an oval area measuring about 15.2 by 8.5 metres probably representing the remains of a turf or wattle wall. The entrance was on the east side and there was a flooring of clay 0.15 metres thick. Three hearths were discovered in the interior, one near the entrance, one centrally placed and one near the west end. A number of finds were made of which two wooden double-sided combs, an unfinished wooden ladle and several fragments of antler are now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS). A date within the medieval period is likely for this site.

R A Smith 1870-2; RCAHMS 1975.

There are no visible remains.

Visited by OS (WDJ), 7 October 1969.