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 Local enthusiast, Bob Hayes from Newton-le-Willows, has
been investigating a number of sites in his locality which he thinks may
have ancient origins. Of particular interest is this mound which lies on
the edge of woodland on the outskirts of Haydock. For some reason Lady
Hill, as it is know locally, seems to have avoided the attention of map
makers and any reference to it by the 19th century antiquarians. It was
certainly around in the 19th century however, as this photo taken in the
early 1900s shows quite clearly a clump of mature trees growing on it.
Many theories have been linked to the knoll, including the thought that it
could be an ancient burial barrow. It was described as such in a book by J
H Lane published in 1916, from which the photo is taken. It's a quite
plausible explanation as a number of others barrows are known to have
existed in the area. Bob asked for our help in trying to unravel the
mystery, so last month a small team from the society set off to see what a
resistivity survey of the area would reveal. Bob was particularly keen to
see if a ring ditch could be detected round the site which could show it
to be a barrow.
Unfortunately the survey produced little to suggest the
mound's origins, however a number of other features away from the site
emerged, including a strange area of very high resistance which has set
off a number of other theories. Bob, however, is not deterred by the
result from the mound itself and has arranged, in June, for Mark Olly, of
the Celtic Warrington Project to do a limited excavation on the site.
Mark's remit is only to remove just the topsoil and any disturbed ground
so the monument itself will not be destroyed. He is also happy to accept
volunteers for the dig, so if you are interested in getting your hands
dirty please see me at the meeting.
More Roman Road in Ince
Our intrepid Roman Road hunters have been in the field
again. (i.e. Mark Hayward and Brian Parr). This time they have been
looking at a section to the east of the area we investigated in 2003 on
Amberswood Common (see Newsletter Nos. 64 and
65). Projecting the line across Walmsley Park between the pond and the railway embankment, Brian thinks he
may have spotted an area where the Road might still exist. Also on the
other side of the embankment there are possibilities where the line passes
close to where the old isolation hospital used to be (Tom says the locals
used to think that it was built on a Roman Fort). I have a feeling though
that this site is now under land fill, so maybe there's not much chance of
proving this now.
CBA Spring Reports Meeting
This year's regional group meeting and AGM will be held at the
Lancaster Royal Grammar School on Saturday 12th May. The programme this
year includes reports from the Wyre Archaeology Group on their recent work
at Nateby and Oxford Archaeology North's work on Backer House Farm at
Lancaster University. Pendle Heritage Archaeology Group will also be
talking about the Blackburn Hundred in the 13th century and after the AGM
there will be talks by Dot Brun on the Portable Antiques Scheme and Lisa
Keys about Access to Archaeology in the Lake District. Finally, Ian Miller
will present his talk on 19th century Flint Glassworks in Manchester.
David Shotter will finish the day with a guided tour of Castle Hill. There
will be refreshments and a buffet lunch with an all inclusive cost of £13
(£7 without the lunch). If you are interested in attending please let me
know as soon as possible
Summer Trip
As I mentioned in February's newsletter, Peter Connelly, who dug the
Gadbury Fold site in Atherton, has moved to York. He is managing the
Hungate project, which is a huge undertaking, covering a large area on the
east side of the City and is set to last for 5 years. The area is not far
from the Coppergate site where the dig in the early eighties resulted in
the highly successful Jorvik Centre. Hopefully, this site has the same
potential. By this summer the excavations will be well underway and Peter
has kindly offered to takes us on a guided tour. The date for the trip is
Sunday 19th August. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are
interested. To find out more about the site you can check out this website
- www.dighungate.com.
Next WAS Meeting
Wednesday 2nd May at the District Scout HQ (Baden Powell Centre) in
Greenough Street, starting at 7.30 pm as usual. This month we have John
Rabbitt from the Ellesmere Park Residence Association. As you know, John
carried out a series of investigations in search of the Roman Road from
Manchester to Wigan, as it passes through his area in Eccles (see
Newsletter No. 85). What was
particularly interesting about his work, apart from the nice section of
Road he found, was the high level of project management, community
involvement and funding he was able to attract. His experience will be
invaluable as we plan our coming project.
Hope to see you at the meeting.
B.A.
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