BACK TO INDEX

Pre-Historic Pendle 2

New Stone Age

Of ancient mounds and standing stones,
Of dykes that scar the land,
All these have I known, my friend,
I stood where you now stand.

As time passed the New Stone Age (Neolithic) period slowly dawned - the word itself implies food production based on the rearing of livestock, and growing of crops, without the use of metals. The Neolithic, therefore, signifies the period when the hunter-gatherer people began to settle down into stable farming units. The exact timing of this change varied enormously from area to area, as with all the ages there was no distinct demarcation between periods. A time of 3500 BC saw the new farming culture spreading across the south of the country, brought in from the continent. As always, the north lagged behind this initial advancement, a time of around 3000 BC would not be far from the mark for early farming settlements within our area and 2500 BC would see the beginning of more permanent settlements. For centuries it would appear that the traditions of hunting were carried on in tandem with the new way of life to supplement a still precarious existence.


From around 3500 BC the climate again became warmer and drier, this Sub-Boreal phase lasted through to 1000 BC. The Neolithic people began to clear the forests, especially those that had covered the higher ground, in order to enclose land and grow their crops. Polished stone axes were found to be more efficient in the clearance of light woodland and so they took over from flint tools, new trade routes opened up to supply a wide area with these advanced goods. By 2000 hard crystalline tools were being moved into, and through, our area, mainly from the Langdale region of the Lake District and Cushendall in Northern Ireland.

These trade routes would see the beginning of the arterial ways stretching from the Ribble estuary on the east coast to the Humber estuary on the west coast and into the southern lowlands. This allowed cross-trading of goods between the North-West, Wales, Ireland and Scotland across to Scandinavia and also the importation of continental goods (such as pottery) into our North country. As the stone tool, mineral, metal and salt routes were established it became easier to trade other goods as the demand grew. The Irish gold trade would come to utilise the established routes through this neck-of-the-woods.

Excellent examples of highly-worked crystalline stone axes have been found throughout our area. In 1957 a nice example of a red quartzite hammer-stone was unearthed near Parson Lee Farm at Wycoller and a superb Langdale polished axe head was found near a major boundary at Blacko Foot in the 1980s: within a few hundred-yards of this site I found a 6kg hammer-stone of local material. The latter could very well have had some high status purpose, or like most of the other finds scattered across to the east coast, may have been a traders loss.

The lower grounds of the river valleys were marshy areas and therefore not easily navigated; the Pendle and Calder Valley, through Barrowford and skirting Burnley towards the Ribble, still bears local names in recollection of this. The number of Holme (a Norwegian description of wet, riverside land) and Carr names along the riverside are proof that these areas were marshy, even in recent times. The nomadic Mesolithic people would know their areas extremely well and would be able to pick their way through the valleys, crossing the swamps, when moving between their highland habitations. They had no need of permanent ways, this was to change as the later cultures began to settle. The ridge-ways, common in our particular area, were utilised as a safe means of travel between the burgeoning settlements of the pre-Roman period.

Trackways

Now the joys of the road are chiefly these:
A crimson touch on the hard-wood trees;

A vagrant's morning wide and blue,
In early fall, when the wind walks, too;

A shadowy highway cool and brown,
Alluring up and enticing down

From rippled water to dappled swamp,
From purple glory to scarlet pomp;

The outward eye, the quiet will,
And the striding heart from hill to hill;

The tempter apple over the fence;
The cobweb bloom on the yellow quince;

The pailish asters along the wood,-
A lyric touch of the solitude;

An open hand, an easy shoe,
And a hope to make the day go through,-

...These are the joys of the open road -
For him who travels without a load.

The Open Road: Bliss Carman.

The embryonic trading routes grew in number and formed a pattern that we can recognise today. Many of our known Roman roads were actually extant ancient routes utilised by the invaders. Our area became important within the hinterland track network, sited as we are near the low-level crossing of the Pennines at Kildwick. Many of these ancient local routes still exist today, these were main arterial trackways, serving the west coastal traders en-route to the Humber estuary, on to Scandinavia and the Baltic. A good example of this is the minor road that has served us well for millennia. This route, known locally as "Back Lane", runs from the (then) navigable Ribble at Ribchester, through Portfield, near Whalley, and picks up the Pendleside Ridge. The route then follows the ridge-brow, keeping the traveller safely above the lower ground. On past Padiham Heights above Sabden, along by Hoarstones in Fence, following the Roman road along Spen and Noggarth Top. The trackway heads through the field gate by Noggarth Top Cottage and straight through the field; at this point the agger, or ditch and bank, construction can be clearly seen. The agger is not as clear as the way followed along on to the farm track above Ridgealing Farm and across the area known as Greystones overlooking Roughlee. The long straight way then enters the field gate above Spitalfields at the top of Pasture Lane where the agger is again very obvious, along the grass track directly above Roughlee Old Hall, straight past Higher Ridge Farm, on to Uderstone Wood and so down the very end of the ridge into the valley of the Water Meetings at Barrowford.

At this point it strikes me that the Blacko Hill (SD 860 422), sweeping as it does from the Water Meetings valley to its full height of 1000 feet, forms a sort of stopper at the northern end of the Roughlee and Barrowford valleys. The Water Meetings was an important spot for early settlers, apart from being extremely picturesque, the area is at the confluence of two waterways and many smaller streams. Its position at the end of two valleys and at the base of the Uderstone Ridge and Blacko Hill, on a trade route and between two rivers, must have held great appeal to the Neolithic people.

The track way then divides at the Water Meetings and heads along Blacko Water, across Blacko Foot Road at the bridge, through Caster Clough (SD 850 412) and across the 1914 bridge then follows Admergill Water along to Lower Admergill. This was an important route from the Ridge and Roughlee areas as the hamlet of Admergill is situated at a strategic point at the head of the valley-way through Middop and on towards the east. From Admergill the track divided, one branch traversed the hillside to the Moorcock Inn, turned up behind the Inn, crossed the ancient Black Dyke (Hansons Dyke and Admergill Dyke were alternative names in the medieval period) crossed Gisburn Old Road, ran up by Star Hall and over Whitemoor by the Duck Pond then continued into Barnoldswick as Folly Lane. At Wapping the track joined with a route that Prof. Stanley Graham pointed out to me - this is a major way that runs east-west from Middop, through Barnoldswick (where parts of it can still be traced) and so to Kildwick and beyond. Another branch from Admergill crossed the old mill bridge (the remains of which can still be seen) and headed straight up the hill to Blacko Bar, forming a cross roads here. The other branch went behind Lower Admergill to Higher Admergill, Wheathead and the moors beyond.


Another division of the way from the Water Meetings takes itself straight up the hill to the old farm on Gisburn Road, across the road to Brownley Park Farm then traverses Blacko Hill to the end of the Black Dyke and so over to Gisburn. From Gisburn arterial routes could be taken to Clitheroe, Skipton and Kildwick.

From the very spot where Admergill Water (here having become Blacko Water) and Pendle Waters join, a track ran past the vestige of a circle of large stones, placed within a high bank feature forming a large amphitheatre. The then way passed up Cockpit Hill, across to Beverley then past Burnt House Farm, and on past Malkin Tower farm to the cross roads at Pasture Head where it followed on to Barnoldswick.

Yet another track climbed from Water Meetings Farm to Great Stone Edge and along to the Cross Gates. From here a route could be taken north past Burnt House and Blacko Hillside Farms to Black Dyke end then over to Gisburn. The Cross Gates was a point where at least six ancient routes converged, one of these is still a footpath and heads down from the crossroads to Wanless Farm on the canal bank. Originally this was the road to Alkincoates and Colne.

Other minor ways led from Blacko Foot over the heights of Brown Hill, Wheat Head and Stang Top to Middop, Twiston, Brogden and beyond. Many of these are now are only to be traced with difficulty. As is the case with the track ways mentioned above, field work proves their existence. Banked, ditched and hollowed ground, along with ancient hedgerows and stone markers, can still be found along these ancient byways.


John A Clayton
Barrowford © 2005

BACK TO TOP