The Crann贸g: Early Medieval Field Monument
By Liam Loftus
A crannog is “an artificial island constructed by driving piles into the mud of the lake and building it up with layers of peat, brushwood, stone, branches and other material until it rose above water level.”1 Its artificial foundations are kept in place by a retaining ring of close-set vertical piles, forming a palisade around the site. The name crannog derives from the Irish cránn meaning ‘tree’ and is thought to refer to the timber settlement itself rather than the foundations on which it is erected or the palisades that surrounds it. Crannogs are distributed
Fig. 1 – Wooded crannog surrounded by pasture land
throughout Ireland but are highly concentrated “in the north midlands and south Ulster, along the drainage systems of the rivers Shannon and Erne and in the isolated lakes of the drumlin zone.”2 Today crannogs appear as small wooded islands at the edges of lakes or as tree-grown or grassy hummocks in areas that have undergone drainage. Alternatively crannogs may be entirely submerged due to rising water levels and the gradual compaction of the crannog material. The waterlogged nature of crannogs allows for the excellent preservation of its organic remains which can be used today for dating purposes. O’Sullivan (1998) suggests that Fig. 2 – Isolated Irish lake dwelling and dug-out canoe
Irish crannogs may not have been an indigenous
development but instead the concept of crannog-building may have been “introduced from Scotland into Ireland in the late sixth century AD.”3 Dendrochronology tends to support this theory, indicating a distinct phase of crannog activity around 600AD. The sheer amount of crannogs built during this time
M.J. O’Kelly (1995) Early Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, p. 298. M. Ryan (Ed.) (1994) Irish Archaeology Illustrated. Country House, Dublin, p. 120. 3 A. O’Sullivan (1998) The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, p. 101. 1 2
indicates major changes in Irish society “which made the construction of these well-defended homesteads a necessity.”4 Whether it was sudden increase in surplus wealth or the result of political or social upheaval, something “destabilised early Irish society to the extent that defended settlements became vital.”5 Either way there was a surge in crannog-building during the fifth and sixth centuries AD which indicates that their construction was a common response to particular environmental or social conditions. Crannogs often contain several occupational layers which indicate a
Fig. 3 – Craggaunowen crannóg, Co. Clare
long history of occupation and reoccupation. O’Sullivan (1998) acknowledges that crannog-builders “made use of earlier features. Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age lake settlement mounds were also often the location for Early Historic crannogs, the elevated platforms over the marshy ground or water providing a useful base to start from”6 Unfortunately, the multi-phase nature of most crannogs means that there is no definite date for the beginning of crannog construction. Subsequent phases obscure the initial occupation layer of many crannogs, while dendrochronological evidence may Fig. 4 – Connemara crannóg
represent ‘only one particular woodworking phase and not
necessarily the original construction phase.’7 However what we do know is that crannogs continued to be occupied and reoccupied well into the early seventeenth century despite their functional change at
4
N. Edwards (1990) The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland. London, Routledge, p. 36. A. O’Sullivan, The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland, p. 132 6 A. O’Sullivan, The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland, p. 133 7 Ibid., p. 133 5
different times. Crannogs were often used as strongholds and continued to be reused as refuges for the poor or hideouts for outlaws well into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.8 According to Edwards (1990) the construction and composition of crannogs varies considerably as their composition was dependent upon the material available. Their method of construction also “seems to have varied according to the depth of the water and whether it was an extension of a natural islands or a totally artificial one.”9 Although ‘true’ crannogs are predominantly timber structures, crannog-builders often utilized natural features on the lake bed in order to give them greater stability. For example, Ballinderry No.2 (Co. Offaly) is an extension of a natural island, whereas Ballinderry No.1 is an entirely artificial construction that required much more substantial foundations. These foundations were composed of massive split-oak timbers, laid side by side and consolidated by a band of small piles that were hammered into the lake mud. Peat, brushwood and other organic matter were used to pack the foundation. A timber palisade provided both an enclosing framework for the crannog make-up as well as an additional measure of protection. The timber ‘crannog proper’ was built on top of this foundation. Stone were sometimes used in the foundation and in the west of Ireland where timber may have been scarce many crannogs were built entirely of stone. Wooden piles were often found outside the main palisade of many crannogs and these may have served as a deterrent for hostile boats or simply as breakwaters to prevent erosion of the crannog foundations by wave-action. Many palisades had an east-facing entrance and some may have had a gate-tower for added protection. Many crannogs were built in the centre of small lakes and could only be approached from dry land by a causeway or by boat.
Fig. 5 – Crannóg with a well-made stone causeway
O’Sullivan (1998) states that crannogs “were used as fishing stations, as dog pounds, as illicit stills for making poitín and as ‘kail gardens’ for producting vegetables.” (169) 9 N. Edwards, The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland, p. 38 8
Excavations at Ballinderry No.1 have revealed traces of a landing stage which may have been used for boat navigation and storage. Traditionally scholars have interpreted the social and economic role of crannogs in terms of power, defensiveness and social display. It is generally thought that crannogs were the settlements of wealthy nobles or powerful kings. The excavation of several large crannogs like Lagore (Co. Meath) or Moynagh Lough and “the quality of the finds recovered from such sites, as well as the amount of labour involved in their construction, would appear to indicate that they were mainly aristocratic dwellings.”10 However, it is clear from archaeological surveys that most crannogs were essentially small island dwellings quite unlike Lagore or Moynagh Lough, occupied at various times by different people who were not necessarily of high social status. Indeed many crannogs have produced relatively modest material assemblages that indicated that most activity was focused on cattle herding and arable crop production along the lakeshore. Lakes were ideal places for human settlement. They provided food, water and raw materials. They were surrounded by rich sloping grasslands and had valuable access to route-ways through the early Irish landscape. Any crannogs that were built on these lakes must have played an important economic role an agricultural society. O’Sullivan (1998) suggests that at a time when pastoral farming was of great social and economic importance, crannogs were “positioned at particular parts of lakes to control prime pasture on the neighbouring drylands.”11 The discovery agricultural tools and large quantities of animal bone on many Fig. 6 – Agriculture tools and weapons found in a crannóg
10 11
M. Ryan (Ed.), Irish Archaeology Illustrated, p. 123 A. O’Sullivan, The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland, p. 144
crannogs suggest farming activities on adjacent dry land. As a result, some associated structures like ringforts “may not have been settlements but byres and corrals for the protection of the cattle.”12 The agricultural function of crannogs is supported by a wide selection of well-preserved organic remains at Lough Eskragh which “established that the inhabitants were primarily farmers, raising cattle and sheep and cultivating cereals.”13 Many historical sources have identified some crannogs as high-status sites, signifying power and prestige. Lagore can certainly be interpreted as the island residences of kings or nobles as the material assemblage found “is unquestionably impressive and testifies to the high rank and wealth of some of the people who frequented the lakeshore.”14 However Lagore also provides abundant evidence for on-site bronze-working as well as a range of other domestic crafts such as carpentry, pottery-making, boneworking, looming and leather-working. This indicates that many crannogs were not just royal sites, but were also centres Fig. 7 – Bone motif-pieces from Lagore, Co. Meath
of craft production. Indeed Bofeenaun (Co. Mayo) appears to
have been dedicated solely to the activity of ironworking, since no traces of domestic activity have been found. O’Sullivan (1998) suggests that lakeshores provided “various resources for the metalworker such as wood for fires, clays for moulds and kilns, and water. These metalworking sites may also have been usefully situated by water for travel and communications, or to
12
Fig. 8 – Gilt bronze brooch from Lagore, Co. Meath
Ibid., p. 144 M.J. O’Kelly, Early Ireland, p. 305 14 C. Newman (2002) Ballinderry Crannóg No. 2, Co. Offaly: Pre-Crannóg Early Medieval Horizon., p. 114 13
be at places between territories for trade and exchange.”15 Crannogs can be seen as neutral meeting places where local kings could attract trade goods into the region and distribute the metalwork and glasswork through the wider community, in which case “crannogs served as centres for the production and redistribution of goods, making them significant non-urban markets in the wider settlement and economic landscape.”16 Craftsmen may have been gathered together on crannogs as a result of royal patronage or to control trade. Crannogs are important archaeological sites due to their extensive material assemblages and the high preservation of their artefactual remains. They provide us with an insight into the social and economic dimensions of past lives and their long history of use and reuse attests to their continued importance in Irish society. At different times throughout their occupation there appear to have been significant differences in the social and economic functions of crannogs. Therefore, it is important to gain a broader understanding of crannogs, particularly in relation to the wider social and cultural landscape.
15 16
A. O’Sullivan, The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland, p. 95 Ibid., p. 141.
Bibliography
Edwards, N., (1990). The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland. London, Routledge.
Fredengren, C., (2000). Iron Age Crannógs in Lough Gara. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 14 No. 2, No. 52. Fredengren, C., (2001). Poor People’s Crannógs. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 15 No.4 Issue No. 58.
O’Kelly, M.J., (1995). Early Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.
O’Sullivan, A., (1998). The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.
O’Sullivan, A., (1998). Crannógs in Contested Landscapes. Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 12 No. 2, No. 44. Lynn, C. J., (1983). ‘Some ‘Early’ Ringforts and Crannogs’, The Journal of Irish Archaeology, Vol. 1, pp. 47-58. Lynn, C. J., (1985). ‘Lagore, County Meath and Ballinderry No. 1, County Westmeath, Crannógs: Some Possible Structural Reinterpretations. The Journal of Irish Archaeology, Vol.3, pp.69-73. Newman, C., (2002). Ballinderry Crannóg No. 2, Co. Offaly: Pre-Crannóg Early Medieval Horizon. The Journal Of Irish Archaeology, Vol. 11, pp. 99-123. Ryan, M., (Ed.), (1994). Irish Archaeology Illustrated. Country House, Dublin.
Images Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 – O’Sullivan, The Archaeology of Lake Settlement in Ireland. Fig. 3 – http://www.gov.ie/images/photos/CL000363__.jpg Fig. 4 – http://www.connemaraheritage.com/images/Crannog.JPG