Professor Duncan Leitch, Geologist, Palaeontologist, Royal SocietProfessor Duncan Leitch, Geologist, Palaeontologist, Royal Society, FRSE, FGS

Prof Duncan Leitch FRSE FGS (1904 -1956) was a 20th-century Scottish geologist and palaeontologist. He specialised in Carboniferous stratigraphy.

He was born in Glasgow on 20 March 1904. He was educated at Woodside School in Glasgow. He then studied Science at Glasgow University drifting towards an interest in geology due to Prof John Walter Gregory. He graduated with First Class Honours BSc in Geology in 1926. He then became a Demonstrator in the Geology lectures, assisting Prof Gregory. He was granted a Carnegie Teaching Fellowship and in 1938 he began lecturing in his own right.[1]

In 1946 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Arthur Trueman, John Weir, Thomas Alty and Sir Maurice Yonge. In 1947 he accepted a professorship at University College, Swansea in Wales.[2] He had joined the Geological Society in 1928 and served as its Assistant Librarian until 1932. He became Secretary in 1937 and Chairman in 1947.

He died in Swansea on 11/12 January 1956.

Cave:

Near to it [Portpatrick] close by the sea is a cave called the Cave of Uchtriemackean accessible by six steps of a stair entering to a gate built with stone and lime at the end of which is a structur lyke ane altar. The people frequent this place the first night of May and wash deseased children with the water which runs from a spring over the cave.

There is a large cave called the Cave of Uchtrie Macken close by the sea near Portpatrick accessible by six steps of a stair entering a gate built with stone and lime at the end of which is built an altar at least a structure after that figure to which many people resort upon the first night of May and there do wash deseased children with water which runs from a spring over the cave and afterwards they ty a farthing or the like and throw it upon the altar.

It was decided [by Society of Antiquaries in Scotland] to investigate the Ouchtriemakain Cave, 1 mile north of Portpatrick (6-inch map, Wigtownshire, xvii. S.W.), to which Sir Herbert Maxwell directed attention owing to the interesting traditions connected with it. The excavations there were undertaken by Mr Duncan Leitch, B.Sc., of the Geological Department of Glasgow University. Labour was engaged, tools lent, and much other assistance kindly given by James Purvis, Esq., the factor of the Dunskey estates. Report on the Excavation of Ouchtriemakain Cave, Portpatrick. by D. Leitch. Ouchtriemakain Cave occurs on the eastern side of a small bay, Port Mora (locally called Sandeel Bay), about 1 mile north of Portpatrick. Two caves occur side by side along a faulted zone in the steeply dipping graywackes (figs. 3 and 4). Of the two, Ouchtriemakain was chosen because of its size, shape, and position. It was dry, roomy, and flat, while the other had a large waterfall tumbling over the entrance. If conditions had been the same during Neolithic times, the Ouchtriemakain would have been not only dry and comfortable but would have had a good water supply from the other cave. Ouchtriemakain Cave lies at 21 feet above present sea-level; its direction is 16° N. of W. (magnetic). The rocks strike in the same direction, and dip deeply to the north. The cave consists of a long, narrow passage leading into a broad, circular "room" (fig. 5). The passage first rises steeply and then slopes into the flat cave. In this way the actual cave is not seen from the outside. Fig. 6 shows the measurements. Excavation was started by trenching across the circular cave. The long passage-way, which is unroofed and floored by falling rocks, was not trenched. We first passed through a few inches of black, pebbly surface material, and then uncovered a 10-inch band of cave earth (fig. 7). This cave earth was composed of about seven layers of yellow clay and black, charcoally clay, rich in small fragments of burnt wood. In the black clay there were also fragments of coal which prove the recent disposition of the clay. We found neither charred pebbles nor any deliberate arrangement of charcoal. The lowest layer of the banded clay was rich in Patella, probably the remains of recent occupation. It was found later that this Patella zone was richest at the mouth of the cave, the shells almost disappearing at the back. Below the banded cave earth were several large boulders, which are probably fallen rocks, although they show a certain amount of rounding. Immediately below the fallen rocks the type of deposit changed, becoming much coarser. This deposit consisted of a mixture of sand and clay with many angular fragments. A few thin bands of charcoally clay also occurred. At a depth of 2 feet 6 inches the angular fragments were replaced by rounded pebbles and the actual raised beach was reached. The deposit was not a typical beach deposit, the matrix being too clayey and the fragments too angular (fig. 8). Immediately below this we reached solid rock. We now trenched longitudinally. Here we were greatly hampered by fallen rocks. Instead of trenching in the usual way we first cut the top clays horizontally in order not to disturb any structures which might exist. No structures were found. In the trench the same banded clays were observed running horizontally into the cave. Towards the back of the cave the banded clay dipped suddenly and then died out. From there to the back of the cave, beach material occurred immediately below the surface deposit. The next trench lay along the back of the cave. Here the beach material was only a few inches below the surface material. The banded clay appeared and thinned out towards the walls. The remains found in these deposits included several pieces of bone and some teeth. They were not restricted to any particular deposit but were mostly found in the banded clays. No trace of flint was seen and only one stone which may possibly have been used as a hammer-stone. The dripping cave was also excavated, but the only deposit was surface material on solid rock.

[1] Publications: Geology in the Life of Man (1948)

[2] http://trngl.lyellcollection.org/content/22/2/187.extract BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X. [3] Wiki

[4] Ouchtriemakain Cave, Rinns of Galloway , N of Portpatrick, Port Mora, Wigtownshire.