Duncroisk 3

Duncroisk 1 NN 531 364 NN53NW 17

A boulder bearing cup-marks.

RCAHMS 1979, visited September 1978

Cormack 1950, 172

Further survey work was carried out on Corrycharmaig (NN 527 358), Duncroisk (NN 530 363), Easter Tullich (NN 526 367) and Tirai (NN 529 367). Of greatest significance over the past year was the discovery, during archival research, of three 17th-century references to a Croftravie or Croftrevie, listed between Innischoarach (NN 493 367) and Corrycharmaig Farms. In 1634–35 Jon and Donald McInnes, the latter a shepherd, lived there, but by 1688, two McGrigors, Jon and Duncan, were in residence. No other references to Croftravie have been found to date.

Intensive fieldwork, carried out on Corrycharmaig from March to May 2012, discovered the presence, in the oak woods bounding the S banks of the River Lochay, of a small cluster of dry stone structures including a house and outbuildings (NN 5122 3661). It is a possibility that these remains are those of Croftravie. The other findings from the survey comprise shieling-type huts, field systems and several dry stone buildings, one of which is extant to 2.9m high (NN 5141 3649).

On Duncroisk, a survey of a small group of shieling huts above the old head dyke was undertaken (NN 5381 3654). An area of improved ground (NN 5359 3756) immediately below an improvement dyke was also surveyed, including several dry stone and turf buildings and the remains of activities from the Breadalbane Hydro-electric Project of the 1950s.

An update on ACFA’s initial survey in Glen Lochay on Tirai and Easter Tullich is underway. Archaeological features that were noted above an improvement dyke in the early 1990s have been drawn and fieldwalking above the old head dyke is nearing completion. Here, a small group of five shieling huts were recorded in October (NN 5297 3734).

Three ACFA Occasional Papers have been published this year: Tomochrocher, Batavaime and Tuerichan, the latter a former farm now subsumed within Corrycharmaig.

Archive: ACFA Occasional Papers are deposited with RCAHMS and the Stirling and Clackmannanshire SMR

Dugald MacInnes, Association of Certificated Field Archaeologists (ACFA)

2012

Date Fieldwork Started: 15/05/2019

Compiled by: ACFA South Glasgow

Location Notes: The panel lies on the SW facing slope of a prominent knoll 250m NE of Duncroisk farrmhouse, near its top at approximately 176m asl. There are two large boulders 1m and 2m to the NW and W respectively, and other boulders further down-slope to the S and SE. It lies in an area of heavily grazed enclosed grassland, 40m to the E of the Allt Dhuin Croisg burn. To the S the view is across Glen Lochay to Creag Mhor and other hills to the S; to the E it is up the S side of Meall Dhuin Croisg which rises to the NE; to the N the view is down into the deep cut of the burn then up the burn valley; to the W it is over the burn and up Glen Lochay. There is a broad spread of rock art panels along the sides and base of Glen Lochay. The only one within 200m of the panel is a large outcrop, 70m to the ENE, labelled on OS maps as a Cross-incised rock (Canmore 24167), which in addition to possibly medieval crosses within circles, bears at least one cupmark. The panel lies within a post-medieval field system, and other features in the area include a bloomery mound (Canmore 24167) 130m to the SW, and an unroofed building 1867 shown on the 1st edition OS map (Canmore 140223), 180m to the S.

Panel Notes: The panel is a roughly triangular boulder, measuring 1.3m SSW-NNE x 1.2m, up to 0.3m high at the SE corner, but its NE corner near level with the turf. Its upper surface is flat, sloping to the S at approximately 20 degrees, with variably steep sides to the S, W and E, and moderately steep to the N; sides are slightly undercut in places. The panel is of a hard, medium grained Schist, with visible bedding planes and colour bands, as well as cracks and fissures, and a moderately rough surface. At the NE corner there is at a slightly lower shelf, which is broadly horizontal; this bears a cluster of 5 clear cupmarks, with no apparent arrangement, measuring 4-8cm in diameter, and 15-30mm deep. To their immediate SW, just below the edge of main upper surface, there is a shallow circular depression, possibly also a cu mark but distinct in form from the others and possibly natural.