David Johnson’s research over many years is in truth ground breaking (in more ways than one!) and will be a revelation to those in the south who think the Angles and Saxons only occupied the southern half of England. He outlined the geographical context, discussed Early Mediaeval (EM) sites, the proven evidence and the issues
Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to ……’ Liverpool. A smooth journey and good weather. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Exhibition was delightful. Although it wasn’t only his work that was on display there were other interesting and gorgeous contributions from the Glasgow School of Art amongst them Talwin Morris. Apparently the
On a dry and calm Saturday, with hazy sun, the Pendle Archaeology Group decided to revisit Heyhouses in the ‘Hidden’ or Sabden Valley. The morning was spent exploring the old settlement and talking about its historical and agricultural background from the 14C to the late 18C. This involved examining old photos of cottages, comparing old
On a morning of mixed weather – sunshine, rain, hail and wind we walked around the amazing manmade landscape that is the remains of the Shedden Clough limestone industry. It is thought that the limestone workings were in use from the 16th century until the late 18th century when local lime was in demand for
What a smashing day on all counts! A good turn out and convivial company, one of the best February days ever and a most interesting walk. Richard Matthews introduced us to what was an area heavily involved in coal mining going back to the 1600’s in places. We had a good look around the Fox
As Malcolm says ports were places that moved things, food, people, military equipmen, goods and acted as places for ship building.Barrow at the end of the longest cul de sac in the country had a population in the 1850’s of 500, small in comparison to nearby Ulverston at 5, 500. Haverigg apparently had the richest
In our first talk of 2019 Harold Hoggarth returned to entertain and inform us with the tales of three local women, Selina Cooper, Katharine Glasier and Ethel Snowden who were involved in the fight for women’s suffrage. All these women did remarkable work in addressing the social situation and conditions of their time, however, the
These are other activities we got up to during November and December. November 20th – another enjoyable Quiz night this years winners were Graham, Sue, Gillian, Iain and Pat. Again kindly hosted by John and Anne Dodd and they are booked for this year’s Quiz on Lancashire Day too. November 21st saw the last
Stephen Caunce promised us a different perspective on the Industrial Revolution and that’s exactly what we got. Stephen started by asking us to look at the area from Preston in the West to Wakefield in the East as one area with hills in the middle. Missed by glacial changes as seen in the Yorkshire or
A goodly group of people experienced the delights of the Record Office at the Lancashire Archives. During a guided tour we delved into the past and saw many unexpected and interesting artefacts. Records are kept in a secure, temperature controlled environment. Some collections are held here on a small deposit and are therefore not owned
The Friends had another excellent speaker in Dave Joy who excelled at unpicking the social history and changes in cowkeeping in Liverpool. As he said it was a play in three acts, firstly the shifting of the farmers from the Yorkshire Dales – Hebden, in the case of Dave’s family who re located in the
This was a most fascinating exhibition which was too late for some people who were the concubines and slaves of the early Chinese Emporers. Unfortunately they were victims of ‘retainer sacrifice’ being put to death to serve their leader in the afterlife. The Emporer Qin Shi Huang must have thought he would have had no
This was another excellent talk by Maggie Simms which again fascinated and enthralled the Friends at the start of the 2018/19 season. Iraq is where the evidence for the worlds’ oldest cities lies. A succession of groups of people have competed to own it and each has left its mark. The ziggurat at Ur, of
Ee by gum, who would have thought that the Friends would be flying through the air, without the aid of a broomstick? No need to panic, we were ascending on the Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich. This is an amazing feat of ingenious engineering that lifts boats and barges from the River Weaver 50 feet
No clogs or shawls were required for our visit to historic Higherford Mill. Over 40 people enjoyed a powerpoint presentation by our own, Frank Walsh, in the 15th century Cruck Barn, at the Pendle Heritage Centre; followed by a riverside walk up to Higherford Mill led by Anthony Pilling ,a descendant of Pilling and son,
CHIPPING OVER INTO PREHISTORY Our current Prehistoric dig has revealed a surface studded with fragments of abraded and worked chert under 5mm, many under 2mm, suggesting it was where someone sat up to 10.000 years ago making stone tools. If you look at the photo, the material we are interested in is the small black
Sunny, fine weather welcomed the final day of digging in Trench 4. Work on Trench 4 was continued in order to ascertain the nature of the possible road surface. Context 3 was excavated in the north-west of the trench. This area of the trench was excavated firstly by light mattocking, then by
A return to Calf Hill in the rain was arranged as a result of questions raised by the magnetometry survey completed by Mike Woods on 13/8/2018. Test Pit 1 was opened between the banks to ascertain if the cobbled surface found in Trench 2/3 continues between the banks. Test Pit 1 (1m2) was opened
Although the weather was mixed, the group enjoyed learning about, and having a go at, magnetometry with Mike Woods. Magnetometry is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. An area of Calf Hill including the banks feature was surveyed.
What an exciting morning this was, family fun as the children rushed round to complete their treasure hunt around Barrowford. They looked high and low for millstones, pigeon holes, at the fish pass and the bowling green, collecting red roses on the way. Everyone was successful and as every photo tells a story here they
Calf Hill dig August 4th 2018 Day 7 A final look atTrench 2and Trench 3 The final day on Calf Hill was warm and fine. With only half a day of digging left, the time was used to answer three main questions; How far do the cobbles extend under the bank in Trench 3? What
Although the day dawned warm and fine, a halt was called to digging at lunchtime due to heavy rain and thunder. Even so, some tantalising clues were beginning to emerge from both trenches. Trench 2 Cleaning the cobble layer in the west of Trench 2, few finds were uncovered other than pieces of chert. The
Day 5 Another sunny day welcomed us back to Calf Hill for another full day of digging. The main distraction was another visit by the cows. Once they had settled for a snooze, work could continue. Trench 2 The stone feature was cleaned and recorded. The planning frame was used to gain an accurate picture
Day 4 Another fine, dry but windy day allowed continued work in Trench 2. The stone feature from the east of the trench was uncovered in the west of the trench. This was difficult due to the plant roots which slowed progress. In the east of the trench, a compacted layer was discovered. Context 2,
Day 3 Fine, sunny weather welcomed the start of the third day of digging. After the retreat of a herd of friendly cows, who found Trench 2 very interesting, work on the site could begin. The loose stones were removed from the east of the trench, revealing yellow clay reinforced with stones. The area exposed
Day 2 dawned bright and fine, following cancellation of digging the previous day due to heavy rain and wind. Work continued in Trench 1, and Trench 2 was opened in the ditch. The stones on the top of the bank were defined. In doing so, more of the compacted yellow clay layer was revealed. The
On a day of sunshine, wind and heavy rain, trench 1 (2m x 4m) was opened on the northern side of the bank and ditch feature. The turf was difficult to remove, probably due to the recent dry weather. Once the turf had been removed, the top soil was trowelled. Removal of the grey,
What a smashing turn out to hear and see Kate Saffin and Heather Wastie part of Alarum Theatre perform the roles of Idle Women. Of course they weren’t idle at all and neither were the Idle Women in the title, this myth grew after Susan Wolfit wrote the book ‘Idle Women’ about the life of
The summer weather was kind to the group on their trip to Yorkshire, with plenty of sunshine. After setting off bright and early, a visit to a coffee shop was required to recharge batteries before driving through country lanes to begin the day at Wharram Percy, Europe’s best known deserted village. Wharram Percy Settlement in
The AGM was conducted satisfactorily and dear friends, as there was no one to step into the breach!, last year’s committee members were reinstated. At the end of the evening we enjoyed a light supper, before that however we were treated to some aspects of Pendle that we did know and quite a few that