Elrig Loch

NX34NW 18 3220 4893

(NX 3220 4893) Lake Dwelling (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map (1957)

The Rev G Wilson in 1872 (in his MS. notes) identified a crannog towards the SW end of Eldrig Loch, SW of Lochside Cottage. No excavations seem to have been made, but from Wilson's notes it appears that very hard oak beams, flat above and round below, were taken out of this crannog by the cottager at Lochside, and used as window lintels. A ford connected the crannog with the western shore, and from it "a line like the foundations of a dyke runs over the field in the direction of the crannog in Rough Loch" (NX34NW 15).

RCAHMS 1912

There is now no trace of this crannog. There are some wooden door lintels in an outbuilding of Lochside cottage at NX 3235 4896 but there is nothing to suggest that they came from the crannog. The "line like the foundations of a dyke" on the western shore was not identified but there is a short length of modern field wall leading out of the loch at NX 3205 4893.

Visited by OS (BS) 10 May 1977

NX 325 493 Elrig Loch. A survey of Elrig Loch was carried out in April 2004, with the aim of locating and recording the group of crannogs reportedly sited in the loch. The loch was searched using echo-sounding equipment and GPS, combined with snorkel survey. No trace was found of the crannogs supposedly at Elrig 2 (NX34NW 23), 3 (NX34NW 18), or 4 (NX34NW 22), but Elrig 1 (NX34NW 17), just visible above the surface at the NE end of the loch, was confirmed and a survey was carried out.

Sponsors: Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, University of Nottingham.

M G Cavers 2004.