Bob's Stanah Earthworks

wyrearchaeology · **Posted:** Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:02 pm

This one's intriguing. I've been sent a few aerial photographs of Stanah by a bloke called Bob and was wondering if anybody could help identify what the earthworks are. Let's start with this one:

If you look closely enough you'll see that there's considerably more to them than just an old ditch system. Just to get our bearings on this, Bob's also sent me the following map:

As far as I can tell, this would place said earthworks just behind the Ecology Centre. Here's another view:

The ditches could be old field systems, I suppose...but the 'modern field boundaries' look ancient to me as well...so I'm not so sure. Suggestions, theories, ideas and other comments would, of course, be welcome...

amigafan2003 · **Joined:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:22 pm **Posts:** 37

I can't reconcile those photos/old map to any place on a modern OS map.

It's not related to the old mill pond/mill race around Underbank Rd is it?

amigafan2003 · **Joined:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:22 pm **Posts:** 37

Ignore the above - I'm way off base - really should read posts properly before replying :-(

wyrearchaeology · **Posted:** Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:33 pm

Rob,

As far as I can tell, the 'yard area' on the top photograph is the bit round the back of the loos at the Ecology Centre (or somewhere close by at any rate) near where that giant wicker goose used to stand. (I don't know where that's gone nowadays. Pity 'cos I used to like it. I thought it added a sense of menacing culture to the area.)

amigafan2003 · **Joined:** Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:22 pm **Posts:** 37

Ahah - location as per Google Earth - you can reconcile the above images to this by looking at the first photo - you can see the car park in the left hand corner with the distintive curving path and the pond on the right hand side of the photo.

You can deffinately make something out on the Google earth pic.

wyrearchaeology · **Posted:** Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:36 pm

Rob,

That's the one...just behind the Wyre Ranger's hut/building...can't remember what they call it now.

Bob's asked me to put up a couple more for him...almost the same area. The following map should explain matters better:

(You'll notice that this one's virtually on the Romano British road that runs from Underbank Road, over the Hill and down to the picnic area at Cockle Hall, marked as FP on the map.) Okay...time for the photographs...the second one doctored to emphasise the earthwork:

The Romano/British road would be running along (and through) the hedgeline at the bottom of the image.

I know that the ridge along the brow of the hill can be seen at ground level and seems to extend into the next field (it actually steps down towards the east and has a pond sheltering behind it) but I've no idea why.

Again, comments, suggestions etc would be most appreciated.

Bob H · **Joined:** Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:13 pm **Posts:** 1

Hello all, bit of info for you,
thanks for the above comments, i asked for this to be put on the site as i am not local, and do not know the area that well. i am a moderator on the Newton History site, i spotted these marks whilst looking around the area a year or so ago on google earth, i was looking for a caravan site, that turned out to be near Knott End, so a few months ago in summer, ( now what day was that?)
i had a little walk around there and couldn't see a thing,
i seems to have come to a dead halt now, any one got any ideas? there is an obvious box shape, could it be an old fresh water tank? maybe the remains of a Bailey, or Roman temporary camp, or maybe i am seeing things.

Bob H

wyrearchaeology · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:47 am

Hi Bob,

I printed the photographs up earlier tonight, ready to take into the next Wyre Archaeology meeting -- hopefully somebody there might know something we don't -- and after I'd printed them I showed them to Michelle who immediately came up with a couple of intriguing suggestions.

Firstly, the ditch system behind the Ecology Centre. It might be related to Alice de Singleton's mill near Raikes Road. This was around in the 12th/13th centuries. We'd already worked out that the water to power it flowed from the top of the hill at Ramper Pot, under Underbank Road, to the mill pond, and that the fields running towards the river were stepped down...presumably due to Saxon terracing. It never struck me, however, that the watermill would need a run-off. (Shirley will be shaking her head at me right about now, if she's reading this.)

Anyhow, said run-off would head towards the river and, presumably, would need to navigate the various Saxon field boundaries still very much in use at that time. There's a good probability, therefore, that the ditches were originally the drainage system for the mill.

They might not be, of course, but it's a good theory.

As for the rectangle on the top of the hill, again Michelle (bright spark that she is) has come up with one possiblity.

We already know that there was a Saxon village at the base of Stanah Hill (strip fields, house platforms, central road etc, they're all there...true to the nature of Saxon villages) and that the Celto/Norse lived on the other side of Underbank Road...the bit with the hill on it. In the early mediaeval period (again around the 11th/12th century, when tensions between the Saxon peasants and the recently established aristocrats weren't exactly relaxed) the manor of Stanah is documented as having been owned by one Huck. Huck's a norse name (not uncommon around these parts), presumably one of the locals whose ancestors fought on the side of William of Normandy during the invasion and were duly with rewarded with aristocratic status.

Now Huck would have had a manor house somewhere at Stanah. And, if the behaviour of the other aristocrats from that period around these parts is anything by which to judge, he'd have built it on the top of the hill where he could keep an eye on those disgruntled Saxon peasants. Especially seeing as the Norse were even worse than the French in the Saxon's books.

So, the question is, are we looking at the remains of Huck's manor house on the hill top?

Again...we couldn't say for certain...but I'd like to get a spade in the ground at some point to find out just what we have got up there.

frankjsmith · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:51 pm

Bimbling over Stanah last Wednesday evening to take a look at the demise (or not) of the power station, I noticed the feature described in the subject of this topic, so I got Eric to take a few shots of it. It looks like someone's been filling it in, or digging it out recently, but it doesn't show what could have made the feature, maybe just a grubbed out hedge. We took some more shots of the Ramper area for you also, Brian.

By the way, do people actually live in some of those boats down there?

wyrearchaeology · **Posted:** Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:17 am

Excellent! Cheers Frank.

Quote:

By the way, do people actually live in some of those boats down there?

They're not supposed to, but I believe there are, shall we say one or two 'less than desirable boat owners' who do.

The Fylde & Wyre Antiquarian

Bob's Stanah Earthworks

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