Prehistoric cairns near Earby, Lancs

Naathen John - or indeed anyone who might know a bit about the archaeology & history of the Earby district, and particularly the history of Bleara Moor a mile SE up the hill:

We were up walking on Bleara Moor today (my first visit) and aswell as having some excellent views and visiting the two large prehistoric cairns on top of the moor, on our way up the hill we came across a decent cluster of cairns on the lower slope of the moor, where the heather had been burnt back. These seemed quite obvious, but don't know if they've been surveyed or previously mentioned in any of the local history books (as it's a bit out of my area). Anyone know owt about them? They're typical single cairns, mainly scattered on the north- to NW-facing slope, averaging 3 yards across and a couple of feet high. A very distinct stretch of ancient walling runs down the moor on the eastern edge of this apparent cairn-field. I've took loads of photos of them, though cos they're pretty overgrown with peat and herbage, I don't reckon they'll look as good as they do in the field.

The 2 giant cairns on top of the moor just a few hundred yards away increases the probability of their prehistoric provenance - but it'd be good to know for sure. Anyone know?

Cheers - Paul

The OS 6" 1884 shows a number of small quarrying pits & heaps on the SW, W, NW & NE of Bleara Lowe. These can also be seen on the 1954 2.5 inch OS map (Blue Series).

The road over Bleara Lowe is an ancient saltway - Salt Pie Farm to the SE is the site of a salt storage/distribution centre.

Below the farm is Dowshaw Delf - rich in fossils

There are 2 tumuli on Hare and Low Hill to the N, the former produced 2 BA urns (Craven Museum, Skipton)

The curator at Skipton is a mind of local knowledge, having his own up-to-date record of most sites in Craven. But take care how you introduce yourself, go on your own and let him know who you are (published & respected writer on Yorkshire pre-history), as he does not hold with ........, etc, etc,.

Hi John -

lowergate wrote:The OS 6" 1884 shows a number of small quarrying pits & heaps on the SW, W, NW & NE of Bleara Lowe. These can also be seen on the 1954 2.5 inch OS map (Blue Series).

Yeahhh...we saw a few of them, but none of these small stone piles had much relevance to the quarrying pits/heaps. They were distinctly different; the stones were worn by age; deeply embedded and very much akin to cairns on the northern edges of Ilkley Moor. In my opinion they were prehistoric, but I'd always bow to someone who could show me I'm mistaken. Within 6 months you won't be able to see 'em again - at least not until they burn the heather back...whenever that happens.

I think I'm gonna have to get misself one of those new-fangled portable digital OS-grid-ref thingamijigs (can't remember wot they're called!) and a new ream of graph-paper. I still tend to do the old 6-fig grid refs, which seem hopelessly inadequate when it comes to defining specific positions of singular cairns or carvings.

...Anyway, where did you get to today? A few of us were looking forward to meeting you. We're gonna be out again next Thursday - though not quite sure where as yet.

lowergate wrote:The curator at Skipton is a mind of local knowledge, having his own up-to-date record of most sites in Craven.

Might give him a go sometime.

ttfn - Paul

BLEARA LOW: HER/SMR ref. PRN 337

BLEARA MOOR: HER/SMR ref. PRN 336


Ken Davies, Planning Officer (Historic Environment Record) from Lancashire County Council’s Environment Directorate, for all entries on Bleara Moor on the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR), or (HER).


Peter Iles, Specialist Advisor (Archaeology) from Lancashire County Council’s Environment Directorate, for full survey of Bleara Moor.


Sod the GSM technology - a nerds tool only

Beter with a 6" OS map photocopy - you can draw on them & make notes ( & blow the map up in section)

Although I use computers I back everything up on paper. I can then spread maps, photos, notes, file cards, etc out on a big table and get an overall 'picture' of what I am looking at.

Computers cannot opperate in this way, and as for the human brain using the mind only ..... ugggg ... beter with the old table in fron of one.

Maybe I live in the past - but seems to work for me

Best regards (see Email)

john

Howdo!

lowergate wrote:BLEARA LOW: HER/SMR ref. PRN 337 - BLEARA MOOR: HER/SMR ref. PRN 336

Ken Davies, Planning Officer (Historic Environment Record) from Lancashire County Council’s Environment Directorate, for all entries on Bleara Moor on the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR), or (HER).

Peter Iles, Specialist Advisor (Archaeology) from Lancashire County Council’s Environment Directorate, for full survey of Bleara Moor.

I recall emailing Ken sometime back about some other finds, but I got very little response. Indeed, on one email to one of the Lancashire Archaeo-bunch (can't remember which one), enquiring about some finds we'd made near Trawden (unlisted), the email I got back was "nice", asking for further info, but at the bottom of the missive the fella had forgot to delete the email his archaeo-boss had sent him regarding my own query. It read summat along the lines of, "Find out as much as you can about these new findings, but don't give him owt in return - but be nice about it!" You get mi drift.

I emailed the fella back, politely thanking him for his lack of help and reminded him that it'd be best if, in future, he deleted his head-archaeo's correspondence at the bottom of his own email.

Wot a bunch of tossers no less. I can't remember if it was Ken, or Pete, or who it was (I'll dig thru mi old emails & publish the dickheads concerned). As you'd imagine, I don't have much faith in those sorta folks.

lowergate wrote:Sod the GSM technology - a nerds tool only

I was being sarcastic John! They seem a decent tool, but I've noticed how they detatch people from the landscape and they pay more attention to what a little machine's telling 'em than what the land itself is showing....though they're good for on-the-spot grid reffing. If I come across one cheap, I'll pick one up. It'd have been handy to plot each of the cairns we found yesterday, as they were scattered across a plain and I could have stuck 'em on paper when we returned. I do tend to use 6-inch OS-maps - I've got the whole of Rombald's Moor on mi wall in that scale (though after 30 years of use & moving house, I need to get a new set!)

Anyway I'll contact Ken about the small Bleara Moor cairns and see if it's in their report.

atb - Paul

Ken and Peter are OK guys when they get to know you. Go and visit their place at Preston and introduce yourself, they have some great resources and appreciate reciprocation. I notify them of everything I find and they in return.

Some new finds MUST be kept away from the General Public for obvious reasons. As with the case of the recent find of a Viking burial site in the Southern Lakes. Otherwise you would get all kinds of moonmen, dafties, druids, wanabe vikings, common rouges and the like poking around and screwing the site up for future reaserchers.

GSM do detatch one from the landscape - I avoid them, even though they do seem to have valid uses - pin-pointing groups of people so fire power can be brought down on them - no I will not help promote such inhuman tools - Pity no one ever understood Richard Buckminster Fuller 'become a verb, not a noun'.

Best regards

john

lowergate wrote:Ken and Peter are OK guys when they get to know you. Go and visit their place at Preston and introduce yourself, they have some great resources and appreciate reciprocation. I notify them of everything I find and they in return.

Hmmmm....seems that way! I emailed the fella and got a reply within the hour! Good stuff! Apparently there's no records of any cairn-field in this area, so I'll do a brief resume of the finds and post 'em onto him in the next few days.

lowergate wrote:Pity no one ever understood Richard Buckminster Fuller 'become a verb, not a noun'.

I like it! Though I reckon it's only those who are nouns who struggle with it!

Cheers - Paul