Exploration of the unique royal crannog at Llangors, Powys, Wales

The archaeology of the period 400-1100 AD is poorly understood in large parts of Britain. The discovery of a crannog or artificial island settlement site at Llangors, near Brecon is a major advance in our knowledge of this period in Wales. Hundreds of crannogs are known in Ireland and Scotland but none have ever been discovered in England, and Llangors is the only site from Wales. Llangors is a large natural lake in south Wales and the crannog appears as a small wooded island just off its north shore. The structure, roughly 40m by 30m across, was constructed by driving wooden stakes and vertical oak staves into the underlying peat deposits. Layers of brushwood were then laid down and a mound of stone placed on top. Originally buildings would have stood on the mound but these have collapsed and been washed away in the succeeding centuries. Although the buildings have disappeared timbers are perfectly preserved below the water level and where they have been driven into the lake muds. The tree rings from such preserved wood indicate that the oak trees for the main structure were cut down in 889-893 AD and the crannog seems to have been built at that time. Excavation of the site, between 1989 and 2004, showed that the crannog was only used for a short time, that it was burned down and then abandoned. Remarkably there is historical evidence to support this interpretation. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 916 AD Brecenanmere (the English name for the lake), was destroyed by the Mercian queen Aethelflaed and that she captured the wife of the king of Brecon. Aethelflaed the daughter of King Alfred, the most powerful English king of this period, had become ruler of the neighbouring English kingdom Mercia. This indicates that the crannog was being used as a settlement and perhaps refuge of the local kings. The 9th century and early 10th century was a period of intense warfare involving Viking armies all over the British Isles, in the course of which large parts of England fell under the rule of Scandinavian kings. The Mercian attack on the crannog seems to be part of the process whereby English rulers drove back Viking attack. It is likely that the Brecon rulers had allied themselves with Vikings or had tried to capitalise on current instability to raid Mercia. The archaeological excavation involved both surface and underwater excavation by a joint team from Cardiff University and from the National Museums of Wales, Cardiff. Finds from the excavation support the idea that this was a royal site. Animal bones show that the site was being supplied with food from surrounding farms though a sizable percentage of meat was coming from hunted species such as deer which were often only available to the aristocracy. Metal finds include a highly decorated fragment from a religious shrine, decorative metalwork from aristocratic dress items and large pieces of a burnt embroidered tunic with decoration of Asiatic origin. Several of these are indicative of Irish cultural influences at the site. No other crannogs are known in Wales or England and it seems likely that this site represents the introduction of an Irish cultural idea into late 9th century Wales. The speedy destruction of the site and capture of the queen may explain why the idea of the crannog was not adopted in the area. The discovery, investigation and dating of the Llangors crannog represents a major advance in our knowledge of early medieval Wales. It provides a remarkable insight into Welsh history in the period of the Viking wars which can be communicated to the wider public in an immediately accessible form. It will be of particular interest to historians and archaeologists of the early medieval period. This proposal seeks funding to enable the applicant to complete publication of the site as a monograph and in pamphlet form. The publication project will be jointly undertaken by Dr Alan Lane of Cardiff university and Dr Mark Redknap of the National Museums of Wales.

The major publication outcome from the project will be a co-edited academic monograph. This will be aimed at an academic, student and amateur archaeological readership. The report will be of value to a non-academic readership including museums, CADW and other heritage managers, and tourism organisations. It will have an international readership though it will be of particular interest to a Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English audience. The Viking Age dimension will also give it a wider international significance. The site and the interim results of the project have already been disseminated to a wide public audience and non-academic professional audience by myself and associated colleagues. The Llangors crannog and its log-boat have been a key feature of the local museum in Brecon, the Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery, since the 1950s. The excavations however have shown that the site is of international significance and this has been communicated locally through lectures, TV, press articles, and a temporary exhibition of material loaned by the National Museum of Wales, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and administered by the Council of Museums in Wales. The exhibition was opened by Alun Pugh AM, at the time Minister for Culture, Welsh Language & Sport. The University and National Museum excavations have already had impact on heritage and tourism. The evidence of the importance of the site led to CADW taking expensive measures to protect the site from erosion resulting in the construction of a bund or wall on the southern edge of the crannog. A circular timber visitor centre, the Welsh Crannog Centre has been constructed adjacent to the site to provide an education centre for visitors. This is now also used as a venue for marriage ceremonies. The site figures prominently in the collections of the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Material from the excavations has been on display since the early 1990s and figures within their current major archaeological displays in the 'Origins' gallery and extensive information and illustrations appear on their web site. The excavations attracted considerable media interest leading to the site featuring in Channel 4's Time Team series in 1993. There has also been considerable international media interest in the site and the Cardiff University work on the animal bone assemblage attracted extensive and prolonged coverage in newspapers and websites in 2004. The completion and promotion of the monograph publication of the site will however offer the opportunity to update and communicate the full significance of the site to a wide local and international audience. The Brecon Museum will use any new insights into the site in updated museum displays. As part of the fellowship I will write a popular booklet on the site and its finds and Brecon Museum will be seeking funding to cover publication costs. This booklet will be a key method of disseminating the results to a wider public. Since 1989 various public lectures been given to local groups across Wales by myself, Dr Redknap and Dr Mulville. Completion of the publication will facilitate a new programme which will target audiences in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. As part of the Fellowship I will draft popular articles for the main amateur archaeological magazines to coincide with final publication in order to communicate the results to a wide audience. A Cardiff TV production company have expressed interest in doing a documentary on the site and will be bidding for funding from various TV companies. Dissemination of the results will be jointly managed by Cardiff University and the National Museum of Wales with the full collaboration of Brecknock Museum. The education officers of both museums will be involved. It is essential that the research time is provided for the full publication of the site as this will provide a robust and authoritative aca