The Carpow Logboat a late Bronze Age gem plucked from mud banks of the River Tay


 
 

The Carpow Logboat 
 
It is quite astonishing  how much of  our early past  is being revealed thanks  to the fastidious  work of  our dedicated archaeologists and associates . In these blogs  we have  discussed the early Neolithic findings including the Crieff Cursus , the Forteviot  burial sites and the timber  round  houses revealed  during the preliminary work on the Beauly to Denny power lines . What   should  not  be ignored is  a quite astonishing  discovery  at Carpow where the River Earn joins up with the mighty Tay .
 
Carpow Bank is a small tidal shelf lying off the south side of the river .  The name Carpow appears on a many ancient maps There is a belief that here the Romans  established a boat  bridge providing a crossing to the north side of the Tay . This would have been close to their Fort at Carpow . According to  David Strachan’s  superb  book “ Carpow in Context ”( Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . Edinburgh 2010)  it is  clear  from the  study of many of the  old  maps of this area ( National Library of Scotland :   http://maps.nls.uk/ ) that the area  around this  part of the Tay and Earn were criss crossed  by numerous ferries allowing  good communication in an era  where cars , trains and busses did not exist !

Perhaps this is  why our  ancient relatives in all probability dropped  roots in what is now a very quiet back water . Their  communication  was primarily  by  water  and not  land particularly in view  of the wild  terrain and animal predators including bears , wolves and lynx . The craft they used  to cross the rivers and tidal waters  was termed a logboat .Again quoting from Strachan : “ The earliest known logboat  in Britain  is the oak fragment from Catherinefield in Dumfries and Galloway of around 2000 BC . The latest are late medieval  in date , but there are 18th century Scottish documentary  references  to their use . In Fox’s day ( Sir Cyril Fox , Director of the National Museum in Cardiff  .1925 ) all British logboats  were assumed to be prehistoric , ie pre Roman . Now that   a number of logboats from this country have been dated  scientifically , we realise that most  are of Roman or of medieval date , such as Carpow  is both unusual  and most welcome .”
 
 
The logboat after excavation
Logboats have  been  discovered in this  vicinity on a number of occasions but  mostly in the   19th century . The Carpow finding occurred in 2001 when a Dundee metal detecting enthusiast Scott McGuckin  and two colleagues were searching the mudflats at low  tide primarily for Roman artifacts on account of the proximity of the site of the old Roman Carpow Fort . The three had  split up  to carry out individual searches  when McGuckin espied an object sticking up from the sand . The eagle  eyed searcher realised this appeared to be the stern of a logboat . He had  recognised it  from seeing   similar  one in the McManus Gallery in his  home town . The  find  was duly reported and as it  was located  within the geographical boundaries of Perth and Kinross , the onus  fell upon them to investigate the find further .

In 2001 ,the archaeological team which was organised by the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust ( PKHT) developed an evaluation strategy which had  four main objectives

  • To establish the date of the vessel
  • To establish  the condition of the  buried portion of the vessel
  • To establish the full length of the vessel
  • Too protect the vessel in situ while long term management options  were considered
It  was determined that the age  of the Carpow  logboat was around 1000BC ( late Bronze Age )  and that it  was  constructed  from a single oak trunk . Although the  prow of the boat  was exposed above  the sand the greater  portion lay buried .When finally  excavated the  boat  was some 9 metres long .The boat was  carefully removed and transported  to the National Museum in Edinburgh where it was carefully restored. Such was the complexity of this  part of the project , that it  took some 5 years to complete .
 
The logboat at Newburgh on its way to Edinburgh
 

Careful you go !
 
What was so interesting about the Carpow log boat that has  drawn the attention of  so many people ? Only two logboats of the Carpow vintage so far  discovered in the UK have had  fitted transom boards . What you may ask is a transom board ? This was inserted into the   main structure to assist with navigation particularly in tidal and strong flowing waters . From Strachan’ s book we find : “ A notable  feature of the Carpow boat is that she appears  to have been fitted with a dwarf transom aft of her main transom . This  may have been inserted to stem the flow of water that could have swept through the main transom when this boat had, on occasions ,  to be paddled  stern first ,  for example , when manoeuvring within a narrow river  . “

The Carpow  logboat was until recently on display in Perth Museum . It has now  been sent to Glasgow on loan to the Glasgow Museums’ Resource Centre   where it will be on display for the next 5 years .

 
 
The location of the find
 
 
 
THANKS TO DAVID STRACHAN AND THE PERTH AND KINROSS HERITAGE TRUST AND THE BOOK " CARPOW IN CONTEXT " FOR MUCH OF THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND PICS . CHECK OUT THEIR WEB SITE :http://www.pkht.org.uk/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise and Fall of Inchbrakie – The Story of the Graemes and Why A Great House Was Demolished and A Family Heritage Threatened

Image
Inchbrakie House The Inchbrakie story is one of the sad tales of the Strath. This ancient family once were one of the dominant influences in Strathearn and their names appeared with frequent regularity as the centuries unfold. The Graeme family of Inchbrakie are however still around. There is a most excellent web site http://www.inchbrakie.com/ which provides a superb source of research and information into not only the family but also their domicile up until the late 19th century at Inchbrakie . Anthony Graeme , a present day descendant and a most charming person , lives in far off Devon but is a frequent visitor here in Strathearn .Interestingly , there are here in Crieff,  a couple of roads bearing that illustrious name .One wonders just how many of the inhabitants of houses in those specific airts know much about the original name ! We are, however ,  most fortunate that the family history of the Graemes was painstakingly recorded in a book Orr and Sable – a bo
Read more

Glen Artney and Auchnashelloch : A Royal Forest and Comrie’s Highland Heritage .

Image
A number of years ago I purchased a  small booklet on Glen Artney in the book shop  that existed for  some years in Drummond Street Comrie. The author was the late Gordon Booth FSA , a superb researcher and accomplished author . He was not a local man since moving to the village  from I believe the Island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides. Since arriving in the area, he  had  read and assimilated much of the history and folk lore of this part of the Strath  .I recall the late Tom Weir ( of the woolly hat ) doing a programme in his Weir’s Way series on Glen Artney an d featuring Gordon Booth . Regrettably  all seven of his little books are out of print although they may be available to borrow through Perth and Kinross Library Service. I have incorporated partial excerpts from his  writings in this blog on the Glen which I duly acknowledge as a fitting tribute to his diligence . Glen Artney is some eight or  so miles in length from the former prisoner  of war camp at Cultybr
Read more

Feddal Castle, Braco

Image
Feddal Castle, Braco Introduction : The PerthshireCrieffStrathearn Blogs  have  been posting  now on local history and places of interest in the area for  over  10 years with well over  200 tales of  varying styles and types . This new  blog on Feddal Castle at Braco is of  special interest to me . It is the  first blog   by  my  son Nic and his  family . A team  effort if there ever  was one ! The buildings  have a fascinating  history and have  been comparatively  neglected  by other  local historians despite its proximity  to Braco and   ease of access . The standard of pictures throughout is  high and the script  informative ; Blog Team : Nic Mayall ,Caroline Mayall and Callum Mayall As a relative newcomer to Braco & Greenloaning, I am keen to explore some of the local history and learn more about the area. Braco is rich in history, being home to one of the best preserved Roman camps at Ardoch and also Braco Castle. My curiosity has been piqued more about the history we
Read more