Here perforated posts and frameworks of what were supposed to have been wooden huts were found. In one place a wooden structure measuring 11 feet 10 inches by 6 feet 3 inches, formed of rude wooden beams, with roughly-executed mortises, was found no less than 21 feet below the surface of the peat. Two flint implements, several fragments of hand-made pottery, devoid of ornamentation, broken hazel-nut shells, and in the vicinity, at the same depth in the peat, a few wooden dishes. The stool of a huge pine tree, which, "before its decay, must have measured 14 feet in diameter," was found 2 feet above the level of the floor of the hut, which sent its roots downwards.
Subsequently Mr. Wakeman states that near this crannog lumps of "bog butter," rolled up in cow-hides, were found, and that the wood of the huge root of the tree above referred to turned out on analysis to be yew, and not pine.[74]
LISNACROGHERA.
Amongst the more recently discovered lake-dwellings were one at Lisnacroghera, near Broughshane, and two in Lough Mourne, both localities being in county Antrim. The former came into notice some six years ago in consequence of the discovery in a peat bog of some remarkable iron swords, with bronze sheaths, together with other military weapons. The bog in which these objects were found occupies the site of a former lake, which, till recently, retained so much water as to prevent the working of the peat for fuel. To remedy this the outlet was deepened, and so new or undisturbed portions of the bog were brought within reach of the peat-cutters. The antiquities were found from time to time in a circumscribed area, within a small plot belonging to one of the neighbouring farmers. When attention was first directed to the locality, and the workers questioned as to the circumstances in which the relics came to light, it appears that some kind of wooden structure was encountered, which, however, had been entirely removed before being seen by anyone competent to form an opinion as to its nature. In August, 1866, I visited the locality, and closely questioned the farmer about this woodwork, but failed to elicit any definite information. He was quite clear, however, about the existence of stakes and irregularly disposed beams and brushwood, which at the time he thought little about. From his description, and some remnants of oak beams, some showing the usual mortises, there can, I think, be little doubt that it was a crannog, but of no great dimensions. Close to where the peat had been cut there is an undisturbed structure of stones just cropping through the turf, which may yet turn out to have some relationship with the crannog. As to the relics, there is no record of their association with the crannog beyond the fact of their being found in its vicinity. Canon Grainger, who has taken much interest in this find, has secured for his private museum a large number of the relics from Lisnacroghera, but he fears that, since the crannog has become famous, he has occasionally been imposed upon by having presented to him, as coming from it, objects which in reality had been found elsewhere. This, in my opinion, partly explains the presence of such incongruous objects as are now to be seen in the Canon's collection. Among these are especially some arrow-heads and scrapers of flint which cannot be distinguished from analogous objects picked up on the neighbouring fields. Besides the weapons with bronze mountings, there is in short an assortment of remains which might be classed as belonging to all ages—a stone celt, rubbers, flint arrow-heads and scrapers, down to an iron reaping-hook, a hedge-cutter's knife, and a portion of an old gunlock.
But the special interest of the Lisnacroghera crannog lies in the remarkable series of military weapons which it has yielded, consisting of iron swords and ornamented sheaths of bronze, iron spears with long wooden handles and bronze mountings, together with a variety of other bronze objects, probably the mountings of shields. These I shall now proceed to describe.
Fig. 123.—Lisnacroghera. Sword Sheaths of Bronze. All 1⁄2 real size.
Sword-sheaths.—Up to the present time four sheaths ([Fig. 123], Nos. 1 to 4) have been recovered, but only one is entire, the rest being more or less in a fragmentary condition. They are all made of thin bronze riveted together at the margins, and over this there is a bead which, towards the lower third, develops into an elegant ornamentation very similar to that which we have already seen on the sword-sheaths of La Tène (See [Fig. 87].) The perfect sheath (No. 1) is devoid of ornamentation, except that formed by the marginal bead; but the other three (of which only one side of each remains) are decorated with highly artistic designs formed by incised lines, the details of which will be readily seen from the illustrations. No. 1, which still retains the blade of an iron sword firmly adhered to it, is 17½ inches long. No. 2 is defective at the tip, besides having lost its surrounding bead; it measures, in its present condition, 19 inches in length. The illustration here is a reproduction of a rubbing reduced half size and shows only the upper half. The design which comes out in white lines is in reality incised lines and corresponds to the dark lines in the other two. No. 3, the largest of the group, measures 22 inches in length. Both ends are here represented. No. 4 is the smallest, being only 16½ inches in length. It is supposed that the incised lines, which are sharply defined and deeply cut, contained a black enamel, but no traces of it now remain. The circular cavities in the surrounding bead at the tips were also intended for the reception of enamel, probably of some brilliant colour. These designs, which belong to the so-called "late Celtic" style of ornamentation, when so treated must have had a striking effect on the bright bronze surface.
In Nos. 1 and 4 it will be observed that there is a transverse raised band, the purpose of which was, no doubt, to strengthen the sheath. Such bands were a feature in the La Tène sheaths, which in some instances were repeated several times at intervals on the body of the sheath. In Canon Grainger's collection I saw one or two broad rings compressed in the middle, which I took to be the cross-bands of other sheaths.