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Loch Tay, Dall Farm North
Crannog (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Loch Tay, Dall Farm North
Classification Crannog (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 24471
Site Number NN63NE 26
NGR NN 6739 3624
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/24471
- Council Stirling
- Parish Kenmore (Stirling)
- Former Region Central
- Former District Stirling
- Former County Perthshire
NN63NE 26 6739 3624
See also NN63NE 19.
Location cited as NN c. 672 363). This oval crannog measures about 30m by 24m and the top is about 1.5m below the normal level of the loch; the bottom edge is at a depth of up to 5.4m. It is probably one of the 'cairns' that Gillies notes near Ardeonaig, either that 'to the west of the spot where the Alltvin Burn enters the loch' or that 'in the little bay below Dall farmhouse'.
W A Gillies 1938; T N Dixon 1983; I Morrison 1985
As part of the Scottish Crannog Survey a number of sites in Loch Tay, originally surveyed in 1979 (PSAS 1982, 17-38), were resurveyed in August 2000.
NN 672 363 Dall Farm (North). This site (NN63NE 26) is closer to Dall Farm (South) than was recorded in the original survey of 1979. The two sites are 20m apart. The N site is deeper under water (1.5-3.75m) and further offshore than that in the S, and it is slightly smaller with much steeper sides. Several structural timbers were noted embedded on the top of the crannog.
Sponsors: Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology, University of Edinburgh - Dept of Archaeology.
N Dixon and G Cavers 2000
A summary of the work carried out by the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology in 2004 is included in The University of Edinburgh's 50th Annual Report, 2004.
N Dixon 2004
Underwater Archaeology (14 August 2018 - 21 August 2018)
NN 67393 36248 This work formed part of the Living on
Water investigation of Early Iron Age crannog-dwellers in
Loch Tay. The project is excavating a range of crannogs with
known EIA phases to collect structural timber samples for
dendrochronology and wiggle-match radiocarbon dating.
Dall Bay North crannog has seen previous work sample
five timbers for radiocarbon dating with two returning
Early Iron Age dates, both from alder timbers at the base
of the crannog mound. Two trenches were opened, 14–21
August 2018, at the base of the crannog mound where it
meets the natural loch bed. Trench 1 was located on the SE
portion of the crannog and Trench 2 on SW portion of the
crannog. Areas to the N side of the crannog were found to
have much greater accumulations of fine sediment, which
made exposing timbers for sampling more difficult. The
trenches were hand excavated and recorded using a range of
techniques, including photogrammetrically.
Trench 1 was 2 x 2m, and contained 17 in situ timbers.
The timbers were not exposed above the level of the natural
loch sediment, which was composed of fine silty sands, or
the rubble capping of the crannog. The timbers were mostly
horizontal alder elements, but four piles were also recorded,
the largest of which was only 0.12m in diameter. Contexts
composed of charcoal and ash spreads were interspersed
with contexts composed of bracken and brush wood. These
organic spreads interleaved with inorganic deposits of silty
sand, interpreted as natural sediment accumulation.
Trench 2 was 3 x 2m and revealed a similar stratigraphic
sequence with mostly horizontal alder timber elements
amongst contexts of charcoal, ash, bracken and brush wood
spreads. A total of 24 timber elements were recorded, 16 of
which were sampled. A perforated stone c200mm in diameter
was recovered from the trench.
Timber sampling was carried out by sawing the top off
vertical timbers, and slices requiring two cuts were used on
horizontal timbers where necessary. These samples will be
subject to dendrochronological analysis and wiggle-match
radiocarbon dating over the course of the project.
Archive: ADS and NRHE (intended)
Funder: Historic Environment Scotland
Michael J Stratigos – Scottish Universities Environmental
Research Centre (SUERC)
(Source DES Volume 19)
