Castle Loch, Lochmaben

NY08SE 9 087 812.

See also NY08SE 30.

For logboats from Castle Loch, see NY08SE 50 and NY08SE 51.

A lake dwelling 50 to 60 yards long and 30 to 40 yards wide lying SW-NE was discovered in Castle Loch, Lochmaben, about 1845, by the Rev. W Graham. A squared log (of alder ?) from the site was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, by Professor J Y Simpson in 1862. The late R Fraser says that the site was discovered during excavations on the small island (? NY 087 814), from which a causeway ran part way to the shore, canoes being used to complete the journey. Canoes found are a flat-bottomed boat, 12 ft. long and 3 ft. wide, found near the loch outlet about 1909, two early dugout canoes found in 1911, and another, seen partly sunk in the bed of the loch in August 1949 by Paul Roxburghe, schoolboy of Lochmaben, and dated by Truckell as from end of Roman period to AD 1200. All are in Dumfries Museum.

G F Black 1887; Trans Dumfriesshire Galloway Natur Hist Antiq Soc 1911; R W Feachem 1956; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1863; J K Hewison 1912; Archaeol News Letter 1950; TSA 1962

The crannog was not located and A E Truckell, Dumfries Museum, could only confirm that it was within the area NY 087 812. The canoes are in the museum. Only the find spot of the canoe discovered by Roxburghe could be sited, to NY 085 817.

Visited by OS (EGC) 23 June 1966

This crannog is probably that previously noted by Graham and Munro; the timbers noted under NY08SE 30 are probably from the same crannog, suggesting that there is only one example in the loch, at NY c. 086 813.

J B Wilson 1982.

Located by Dr Wilson at NY 0853 8130.

Information from letter from J Page, Dept of Physical Planning, Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council, 4 June 1990.