Crinan Ferry Rockshelters

Rock Shelters. (NR 799 938) Rock shelter, beaker fragments & microliths found. 2 shelters out of 7-8 shelters in area are walled; largest has wide double-construction wall curving to narrow entrance at West of rock wall. [Mapleton 1881]

NR 7990 9380. Only 3 rock shelters identified with certainty, each with traces of walling across its entrance. Situated close to one another along foot of high crag line each being minor overhangs of small proportions. 'A' most westerly, 4.0m across with overhang 2.8m high from present ground level. Recess thus formed, 1.2m in depth. Turf-covered wall 0.9m high on W of opening with fragmentary footings completing enclosure. 'B' central shelter, 4.4m wide, 2.0m deep & 2.1m high. Substantial dry-stone wall (now turf-covered) 1.2m wide & 0.5m high totally blocks entrance apart from gap 1.0m wide on W side. Stone added to thickness of wall in recent times & whole has appearance of modern usage perhaps as lambing pen or similar. 'C' extreme E shelter, 4.0m wide by 1.4m deep & 1.7m high; footings of wall across entrance. Immediately to E, turf-covered scree appears artificially levelled creating circular platform effect 4.0m in diameter. Modern material, bottle glass, animal bones etc. present in all 3 shelters.

3 shallow caves or rock-shelters to Northeast of Crinan Ferry, probably in one of these in 1880 Mapleton examined remains of cist disturbed by tinker shortly before. [Mapleton 1881]

Slabs of cist in disarray, but digging around them Mapleton found human bones, bones & teeth of pig, midden debris as well as 2 pieces of flint, one of which was worked. Among pottery sherds recovered 'about 24 pieces of urn, or rather two urns, one of which, larger, very thick & coarse, the other apparently ordinary size & make, only ornamentation being lines made by impression of a cord'. Human bones appeared to belong to 2 individuals. Seems clear material comprised both debris of habitation & remains of a prehistoric burial. Further excavations undertaken 1959, & fragments of inhumed bone & sherd of cord-ornamented Beaker, now in Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, recovered. [Campbell and Sandeman 1964])

Links and Resources:

Oldham, Tony, 2007, Caves of Scotland: A Bibliography, p. 57.
National Monument Record: NR79SE 22.
Canmore ID 39174.
Campbell and Sandeman, M and M. (1964) 'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. 95, 1961-2. Page(s): 21, no.148; Information from manuscript notes from Miss M Campbell June 1957 & June 1960.
Jones, A. (2001) 'Enduring images? Image production and memory in earlier Bronze Age Scotland', in Bruck, J, Bronze Age landscapes: tradition and transformation. Oxford. Page(s): 223.
Mapleton, R J. (1881) 'Notice of the examination of a cist, on the banks of the River Add, at Crinan, Argyllshire', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. 15, 1880-1. Page(s): 103.
RCAHMS. (1988a) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 6: Mid-Argyll and Cowal, prehistoric and early historic monuments. Edinburgh. Page(s): 21, 208, No.357 RCAHMS Shelf Number: A.1.1.INV/24.
Tolan-Smith, C. (2001) The caves of Mid Argyll: an archaeology of human use, SAS Monograph Series number 20. Edinburgh. Page(s): 17 RCAHMS Shelf Number: E.2.1.TOL.

This entry was last updated: 2022-10-16 21:05:52

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NGR:	NR 79500 93600
WGS84:	56.08420, -5.54552
Length:	Not recorded
Vert. Range:	Not recorded
Altitude:	Not recorded
Geology:	Not recorded
Tags:	Cave, Archaeo
Registry:	main

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