White Loch
Building(S) (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Crannog (Prehistoric) - (Medieval), Enclosure (Post Medieval)
Site Name White Loch
Classification Building(S) (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Crannog (Prehistoric) - (Medieval), Enclosure (Post Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) White Loch Of Ravenstone
Canmore ID 63271
Site Number NX44SW 2
NGR NX 4017 4404
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/63271
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Glasserton
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Wigtown
- Former County Wigtownshire
NX44SW 2 4017 4404
(NX 4017 4404) lake Dwelling (NR)
OS 6" map (1957)
Crannog: White Loch of Ravenstone. A mass of large stones which once formed an island at the E end of the White Loch measures some 70' by 80' and is 8' - 9' high. On the top, along the N side, there is a range of rectangular buildings consisting of 3 houses or rooms, the largest measuring 21' by 13' with 2'6" walls, and, separated from this by an 11' wide passage running the length of the islet, another small rectangular building which originally had another room adjoining it.
This island was excavated in 1884, and a shaft dug through this last-mentioned room, which probably accounts for the recess on that side. Here, 6' 5" below the wall foundations a wooden platform was found, formed of round beams lying in various directions. Immediately above the beams, there was a thin layer of charcoal. Excavation at other points revealed the same substructure, resting on a peaty deposit similar to that covering the rest of the bed of the loch.
R Munro 1885; RCAHMS 1912, visited 1911.
This feature was inaccessible due to dense undergrowth and waterlogged ground.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 25 August 1970
Two unroofed buildings, which are annotated Ruins and lie within a circular enclosure, are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Wigtonshire 1850, sheet 29). One unroofed L-shaped building is shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1983).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 22 November 1999
White Loch of Ravenstone (Bladnoch catchment): location cited as NX 4017 4404.
In 1884 excavation of this island revealed a timber substructure below the stone buildings that remain visible.
The location of this crannog were surveyed in July 2002 during the 2nd phase of the South-West Scotland Crannog Survey, with the intention of establishing an effective system of monitoring the rate of organic decay. In view of the difficulty of access, this was not considered a prime candidate for monitoring. This survey followed that of the buildings (by Lowe and Dalland, also in 2002) prior to a programme of tree-felling on the island.
The vegetation around the loch was found to be impenetrable. Dense alder carr lines the N shore, while the S, W and E shores are lined with a dense scrub woodland of willow, oak and some pine. This was very wet and boggy underfoot. The loch was fringed by phragmites reeds, which precluded the identification of the crannog.
J C Henderson, B A Crone and M G Cavers 2003.
Field Visit (7 July 1911)
Crannog, White Loch of Ravenstone.
At the E. end of the White Loch, which is situated about ½ m. N. of Auchness, and now almost entirely drained, is a mass of large stones which at one time has formed an island. It lies quite close to the shore, is overgrown with trees and surrounded by a broad fringe of marsh and reeds. It measures superficially some 70' X 80', and in elevation 8' or 9'. On the top, along the N. side, is a range of rectangular buildings, consisting of three houses or rooms, the largest measuring 21' X 13',with walls 2' 6" in thickness, and, at one end, and separated from the foregoing by a passage 11' wide running the length of the islet, is another small rectangular building which originally had another room adjoining it. This island was examined by excavation in 1884, and a shaft dug through the last-mentioned room, which probably accounts for the apparent harbour-like recess on that side. Here, at a depth of 6' 5" below the foundations of the walls, was found a wooden platform, formed of round beams lying in various directions. Immediately above the beams there was a thin layer of charcoal. Excavations made at other points of the mound revealed the same substructure, which appeared to rest on a peaty deposits imilar to that covering the rest of the bed of the loch. The size and character of the buildings on this island are similar to those of the structures on the islands in Loch Maberry and Loch Ochiltree.
See Ayr and Gall. Arch. Coll., v. p. 121. .
O.S.M., WIGTOWN, xxxi. NW.
Visited 7th July 1911.
Field Visit (March 2002)
NX 4017 4404 A survey of White Loch crannog, a Scheduled Ancient Monument (NX44SW 2), was commissioned in March 2002 in advance of a proposed programme of tree felling.
The crannog is situated on the E margin of White Loch, in an area that is now silted and covered in reeds. The moss-covered mound, formed of large quarried stones, is 26-28m in diameter and stands up to 2.1m above the current level of the loch. A series of abrupt edges and breaks of slope, possibly representing earlier structures within the mound or its revetting, are particularly evident on its S and W sides. On the summit, aligned roughly E-W, are two ranges of buildings separated by a slight hollow way or passage, roughly 2m wide.
The buildings are of drystone construction. No clear evidence of entrances or other features could be discerned. There is no trace of the possible gable-end 'chimney', previously reported by Munro in 1885. The walls, obscured by moss and collapsed stones, are generally up to 1m wide and 0.4m high.
The North Range, 18m long and 5.2-6.0m wide overall (wider at the E), comprises three rooms. An area of level ground, roughly 5m wide, lies along the N side of the North Range. At the E end of this platform, abutting the NE external corner of the building, are traces of a possible structure or enclosed yard, marked by a wall-line and its N return. Additional elements of this structure may have been lost over the edge of the crannog.
Around the N edge of the crannog are a series of 'cuttings', two small hollows near the centre and a large one near the NW corner of the site. These may be identified with the antiquarian excavations that were undertaken around the N side of the crannog in October 1884. Spoil from the largest cutting has been deposited into the loch to the N.
The South Range comprises a two-roomed sub-rectangular building, 10.0 x 5.6m overall. The W room has been much disturbed by antiquarian excavations. An irregular 'trench' or cutting, 2m wide (wider to the S) and up to 2m deep, extends from the room southwards towards the edge of the crannog, cutting through and removing the S wall of the building. Excavation of this trench in 1884 revealed dressed timbers and occupation deposits. Possible traces of earlier stone floor levels and wall stubs are evident in the exposed E- and W-facing sections of the 'trench'. Spoil from this excavation has been deposited to the S, into the loch, and also to the E, forming the large mound of moss-covered stones which lies against the S wall of the building.
Traces of a wall-line are evident running N from the NW corner of the building. There is a platform immediately to the W but it is not clear whether the feature represents the E wall of a building now lost, or whether it simply served to connect the two ranges.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: HS
C Lowe 2002.
