Islay, Loch Nan Deala

NR 425 688. This low grass-covered island is situated close to the former sw shore of the partly-drained Loch nan Deala. It is roughly circular, varying between 23m and 26m in diameter, and there are traces of a rubble causeway 25m in length and 2m wide linking the island to the original shoreline. The N half of the island is occupied by the remains of two conjoined drystone buildings (A and B) which together form an overall L-plan bicameral structure, and there is a smaller detached structure (C) in the SE sector. A 4m length of facing-block on the s side of the island may represent part of either: fourth building or a perimeter wall. A slight depression in the NW sector appears to mark the position of the main entry.

Building A is oblong on plan measuring 7m axially from NE to SW by 3m transversely within round-angled walls 1m in average thickness. There is a 1.Om-wide doorway in the centre of the SE side-wall, and vestiges of another possible opening in the SW end-wall. Building B forms an oblong NW annexe, measuring approximately 5m along the same axis by 3m within round-angled walls varying in thickness between 1.0m and 1.5m. There is an entrance in the s angle. Building C is a small oblong structure whose internal dimensions are 2.5m from E to W by 2m transversely; the round-angled wall are slightly less than 1m in thickness and there is a narrow entrance in the E wall.

The site has no recorded history, but these remains are of a general type that may tentatively be ascribed to the later medieval or sub-medieval period.

RCAHMS 1984, visited May 1978.

RCAHMS surveyed the island dwelling at Loch nan Deala at a scale of 1:100. The plan was redrawn in ink and published at a reduced scale (RCAHMS 1984, fig. 157A). The orientation of the published plan is incorrect, as Building A is orientated NE to SW, not NW to SE as shown.

NR 4253 6881 This project was designed to support the schools to undertake their own archaeological fieldwork on Islay. Each school ‘adopted’ a monument in their vicinity, with Jura children joining in with Keills Primary School on Islay. The children worked with a team of professional archaeologists to undertake site surveys. They were introduced to several archaeological recording techniques and were asked to think about the landscape, and how it might have changed over time. In May 2017 the schools held a joint exhibition in the Gaelic College, which championed the children’s achievements and creations, some of which are featured on the Islay Heritage website (http://islayheritage.org/schools-project/).

The crannog on now mostly drained Loch nan Deala was first discovered by Islay Archaeological Survey Group in 1959 and then surveyed by the Royal Commission in 1978. The RCAHMS’ plan was published with the wrong orientation, but it noted correctly the remains of three stone-built structures, which they interpreted as late medieval or post-medieval buildings. In 1996 the site was resurveyed by Mark W Holley (DES 1996) as part of his thesis on the artificial islet settlements in the Inner Hebrides. He sampled an oak timber that protruded from the causeway for radiocarbon dating and this produced a date of 5205–4800 BC (Holley 2000). Holley concluded that the site was probably most similar to the Early Neolithic settlement at Eilean Domhnuill on Loch Olabhat on N Uist, excavated by Ian Armit.

Pupils from Keills Primary School, Islay, and Small Isles Primary School, Jura, helped with the survey of the crannog with several different archaeological techniques on 24 March 2017. The islet and the structures upon it were surveyed digitally for the first time. Detailed topographic survey revealed that there may have been two different causeways, probably built at different times. This might correspond with two distinct phases that can be postulated from the electrical resistance survey. The resistivity plot suggests that a smaller islet, c15m in diameter, containing two conjoined structures and accessed by a long thin stone-built causeway was an earlier phase of the monument. This islet was than enlarged to c25m in diameter, which subsumed some of the original causeway still visible in the resistance plot. A third small structure was added in one part of this enlarged space. Both islet phases were kerbed with stone, which helped the resistance survey, but only the earlier causeway was clearly visible, which might suggest that a later causeway seen in the topographic survey may have been built from turf. Overall, the survey results have revealed further complexity to this remarkable site, which needs further exploration by excavation in order to establish true structural phasing, chronology and the use of the site.

Archive and report: NRHE

Funder: Ian Mactaggart Trust

Darko Maricevic, Alexandra Knox, Robert Fry, Sarah Lambert-Gates and Steven Mithen – Islay Heritage

(Source: DES, Volume 18)

NR 42530 68810 Between September and October 2019 two evaluation trenches were excavated at the site of a stone-built crannog (Canmore ID: 38124). Previous work at the site includes survey (DES 1996, 21) and geophysical survey (DES 2017, 53-4), which indicate the presence of three dry-stone structures. A Mesolithic radiocarbon date was obtained from an oak timber protruding from the causeway.

Trench 1 was L-shaped and ran from the outer face of the southernmost Structure A across the south wall and the interior of Structure B, with a dog-leg towards its eastern wall. This revealed a complex sequence of deposits and structures in which Structure A was shown to be earlier than Structure B. A hearth was discovered directly under the wall of Structure B. This was partially excavated and sampled for micromorphology, plant macros and potential sedaDNA analysis. The interior of Structure B was occupied by at least two cellular subterranean structures (STR13 and STR18), which may have been later insertions. These were filled with post-abandonment peat and the rubble and timber from the collapse of the roofs. These were not fully excavated due to insufficient space and rising water. Structure C was not evaluated, but it is likely that it may not have been a separate structure and may represent a part of larger building with Structure B, possibly a roundhouse, with its interior occupied by series of cellular spaces similar to those sampled by Trench 1.

Trench 2, a small rectangular trench against the southern edge of the perimeter wall of the crannog, revealed a well constructed feature of several courses. Column and bulk samples were taken from underneath the crannog wall for dating and other analysis.

A programme of coring was undertaken across the loch to obtain material for palaeoenvironmental analysis.

The project continued to work with the Primary Schools on Islay. The children and teachers from Keills Primary joined the archaeologists for a day of digging, survey and archaeological photography, and Port Charlotte Primary also enjoyed a tour of the site.

Archive: NRHE (intended)

Funder: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Darko Maričević, Rob Batchelor and Alison MacLeod - Islay Heritage and University of Reading

(Source: DES Vol 20)