Post by UKarchaeology on Nov 11, 2015 21:06:07 GMT
John Clayton with the historic stonework he found
A recent find at the popular Water Meetings beauty spot could be the only one of its kind nationally according to local landscape archaeologist John Clayton.
Historic author John, from Barrowford, has been running the Burnley, Pendle and West Craven Landscape Archaeology Project for three years.
He has discovered a large number of previously unknown ancient archaeological sites, including Bronze Age farmsteads and burial mounds, lost villages and Iron Age hill forts.
Members of the Project have also found a large number of stone and flint tools, examples of ancient rock art and “Celtic” carved heads ranging in date from the last Ice Age – 10,000BC – through to the Roman Iron Age.
The latest discovery at the Water Meetings – where the villages of Barrowford and Blacko adjoin – would appear to be of national importance.
John explains: “A couple of weeks ago I revisited a riverside stone cairn at Barrowford Water Meetings that we last worked on in 2012
“This particular spot had yielded a small number of Neolithic tools around 4,000 – 2,000BC, but river action over the past three years has destroyed the site. However, a search of the river bank slightly upstream revealed a very large stone implement.
“I knew immediately this was something special as only one other example of this form and size exists; known as the ‘Thames Pick’ this is housed in the East Surrey Museum and is described as ‘a giant flint axe’. The unique size and form of this implement gave rise to later examples of tools of this shape being collated as Thames Pick Types.”
Full story: www.burnleyexpress.net/news/nostalgia/8-000-year-old-tool-find-of-national-importance-1-7556318#ixzz3rDeNduKW