Rob Sands

Evidence from marine crannogs of later prehistoric use of the Firth of Clyde

Abstract Dumbuck crannog lies on the intertidal foreshore of the Firth of Clyde, to the west of Glasgow. Structural timbers have been dated to the end of the 1st millennium BC and early 1st millennium AD and the crannog is one of a group of five found along a 10km stretch of the firth (Figure 1). At least 30 log boats have been found on or close to the shores of the inner Firth of Clyde, one of which was associated with the Dumbuck crannog and another that has contemporary dates with some of the crannogs. This paper introduces the Dumbuck site, investigates its origins and explores its relationship to the other sites along the Clyde. With the evidence of the crannogs and the log boats combined, some of the reasons why the Clyde at this point was exploited during the latter part of Prehistory are discussed.

Old maps, channel change, serendipity and loss: medieval fishweirs on the Fergus Estuary, Co. Clare, Ireland

ABSTRACT Large, impressive medieval V-shaped wooden fishing structures located on the Fergus Estuary, Co. Clare, Ireland have been the subject of ongoing research funded by the Heritage Council (2008–2012) and a Marie Curie IEF fellowship (2011–2013). The weirs would have caught fish on an ebb tide and are collectively known as the Boarland Rock complex. Successive construction occurred from as early as the thirteenth century to the fifteenth century AD and possibly later. This short paper explores these structures and their relationship to channel change as expressed through historic mapping and nineteenth century commentary. Using this evidence, in combination with current dating evidence, the paper reflects upon the original siting of the Boarland Rock structures in the medieval period, the serendipity of discovery and the extent to what we see today it is under threat.

Chronology, Culture and Archaeology: Precision Chronology of Wetland Structures Using Tree-Ring Studies

Over the last couple of decades, survey of the estuaries of Irish rivers, particularly around the Shannon and Fergus estuaries in Co. Clare, has produced a wealth of inter-tidal remains of structures that attest to the exploitation of resources in this marginal zone, through time (O’Sullivan, 2001; 2003). More recent discoveries in the Fergus estuary, funded by the Irish Heritage Council, have led to a series of research projects, investigating these remains to an increasing level of detail (Dillon and O’Sullivan, 2008; O’Sullivan and Dillon, 2009; O’Sullivan, et al. 2010; Sands, et al. 2012). A two-year project entitled ‘Chronology, Culture and Archaeology’, was funded through the Marie Curie Actions – Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development (IEF). It was concerned with establishing the fine-tuned chronology of the fishing structures at a specific site on the Fergus estuary – at Boarland Rock, using tree-ring studies. The very young trees that had been used to build a series of medieval fishweirs at Boarland Rock present a considerable chronological challenge. While the technique of dendrochronology provides precise calendar dates for timber it is dependent on the discovery of objects or structures made from long-lived trees, to ensure reliable results. When a structure is only made from short-lived trees the creation of an absolute chronology is impossible. However, this does not necessarily mean that the data locked within those tree rings is of no use. It remains possible that a relative chronology can be constructed and the pattern of repair and rebuilding of the fishweirs can be revealed, leading to a better understanding of their duration and change. As part of the research, select international colleagues, all of whose research combines study of wetland archaeology and tree-ring analysis, were invited as advisors, during the project. These were Vincent Bernard, Andre Billamboz, Anne Crone, and Nigel Nayling. In September 2012 this group gathered in Dublin, to hear the results of the Marie Curie and Fergus Estuary Projects, to see the sites on the Fergus estuary, to lend their esteemed advice and to present the current state of research in tree-ring study of wetland archaeological sites. While Nayling’s study of the inter-tidal structures at Magor Pill is fully published (Nayling, 1996; 1999) journal of wetland archaeology, Vol. 14, September 2014, 1–5