Cross base Nr. Mitton Green

passed this on the way home today thought someone might be interested ?






easy to find next to bus stop shelter

cheers all Danny

Cheers Dan. I think there's some info about this in Ackerley's History of Mitton, but didn't know if was still there (I'll dig it out when I've done another site profile) - and I aint been there either. I think John knows the area pretty well though - and isn't there some tumulus not far from here in Mitton?

Hi Danny,

Quite a few cross bases & crosses in the Mytton area + 3 BA burial mounds & a BA village site. Have a look at the Withgill Cross SD 706 406 - in copse by farm lane, some interesting C17 graffiti - worth a visit as few know of its location.

john

www.aussteigerpublications.com

Hi John -

lowergate wrote:
Quite a few cross bases & crosses in the Mytton area + 3 BA burial mounds & a BA village site. Have a look at the Withgill Cross SD 706 406 - in copse by farm lane, some interesting C17 graffiti - worth a visit as few know of its location.

Any chance you could do us some site profiles of any of these places?

Thanks John for the Withgill cross info, I had a look at the map last night and marked (red flag) another 9 after yesterdays post

I printed this out and enlarged around the flags to print on the back

then laminated and set off this morning, I managed all of them and spotted another 2 on the way round, here's the GPS Mark map

and I'll give the Map ref as I detail each one -------------------------
So starting at the Church in Whalley Mark 001 SD 73247 36157





then onto Wiswell Mark 002 SD 74339 37276



then onto Mark 003 and either the maps out or I found another, as the GPS Mark is futher along the path by the fork ?



then onto the Church at Great Mitton (no GPS Mark) but SD 71542 38963






and a Sundial


It was then on to look for Withgill Cross

lowergate wrote: Hi Danny,Have a look at the Withgill Cross SD 706 406 - in copse by farm lane, some interesting C17 graffiti - worth a visit as few know of its location. john

With a bit of head scratching and map in hand I talked to a friendly Gentleman driving out of the drive to Withgill who having lived there 9 years had not heard of it, he got out looked at the map crossed the road looked in the field then there were two of us head scratching, after he left Teddy called in the slash and burn rainforest team and we made our way into the copse


it is there honest !

but this is how I left it quietly hiding,and for reference it's just over the hedge opposite the wooden electricity pole
I passed this at Mark 005 SD 68823 40546 and thought it worth a photo ?


I then drove down into Hurst Green to photo the Cross in the square Mark 006 SD 68511 37928


then just out of the village to Mark 007 SD 69548 37849




I then passed this at the side of the road at Mark 008 SD68193 39815




then onto Mark 009 SD 68642 40444



The next and final one, was the hardest to find including no where to park and no access but I got over the wall by the water culvert

and thrashed through some deep wet braken


I was begining to mutter ! when I spotted it, or divined it as it was still a long way off,
just about dead centre here at the top of the hill

1/2 way up and looking back, and I was soaked ! Umbrellas don't work in wet braken !

So finaly at Mark 010 SD 67160 39865



The Bear opened the Bistro a Lavazza drip Coffee and a glass of Chilian Shiraz


The Bear says this post must be worth a TNA Gold-foiled Chocolate Medal ?
cheers all Danny

That's one helluvan venture in a day! I will endeavour to dig out some info on a couple of 'em tomorrow and add profiles if I can find owt!

Never mind info. where's my TNA Gold-foiled Chocolate Medal ?
cheers Danny

QDanT wrote:Never mind info. where's my TNA Gold-foiled Chocolate Medal ?

OK - OK! And would Teddy like one too!?

WITHGILL CROSS BASE:

Upon entering Withgill farm lane the copse is on your leftt - it is here that you will find the large socketed base.

Just a way up the lane, again on the left, is a fallen large standing stone that may or be a gate post - it is an age since I last visited the place.

john

Hi John this is how I found it



and after clearing a tiny amount to confirm it



and feeling throgh to the socketed square base hole



So when was the last time you saw the interesting C17 graffiti

Do you think it needs clearing and cleaning up or left hidden ???
cheers thanks for your time Danny

Hi Danny,

As I said, some year since I visited the site - I will cut the 'brush' away over the next few days & obtain a good photo.

Well hunted !

For drawings and listings of ALL (you missed 4) in the Hurst Green area, see:

JOURNEYS THROUGH BRIGANTIA Vol: 11 - 'East Lancashire Pennines'

Best regards

john

Here's a couple of profiles for 2 of the crosses. I'll do some more this weekend.

Mitton Churchyard Cross

Withgill Cross

thought I'd just Bump this post
cheers Danny

Hi, Paulus says there might be a burial mound near here and I was wondering if it could be Toot Hill, which is just across the road from the stone cross base. The hill is not very prominent, especially from the road, but I went to have a look at it a couple of weeks ago and when you are on the hill it provides commanding views towards Clitheroe and Pendle.

The reason I went to have a look was that I have recently read "The Old Straight Track" by Alfred Watkins who "discovered" leylines. I'm not sure about them being the mystical pathways that some might think, but there is an argument for leys as routes from a-b with various types of prominent markers along the way. Watkins says that burial mounds often formed route markers and often had the name "Twt" (pronounced Toot). So, just wondering if there could be a connection between Toot Hill and a burial mound.

The hill itself has a tree just off centre and what could be some earthworks but it would need a more trained eye than mine to decide if these were relevant or not. Modern work at edge of site has laid a gravel/aggregate drive which could have obscured relevant earthworks.

Hope this helps!

Hi Annie, great that your out in the landscape exploring, the person you want to speak to is John Dixon, here's one of his posts on TNAhttp://megalithix.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/whalley-crosses/ I'll e-mail him a link to your post, the toot hill link to the Old Straight Track is interesting, just found this http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/Toothill.htm
have you seen the Withgill Cross base follow up https://northernantiquarian.forumotion.net/t481-withgill-cross-base

best regards Danny

Toot Hill - the name means 'look out' hill. Thought by the late Ben Edwards to be the site of a Roman signal station. Some excavation work was done in the 1980's but the findings were never published. I cannot remember what was found there but the site is significant.

I would contact the Lancashre Achaeological Society who are going through Ben's unpublished papers at the moment.

Well spotted - john