Featured Title:
Stone Circles CD-ROM now £10&p&p |
 |
| Megaliths, Stones of Memory £3.50 |
 |
| Login |
|
Don't have an account yet? You can create one. As a registered user you have some advantages like your own home page, fewer ads, and your contributions link to your page. |
| Who's Online |
There are currently, 177 guests and 8 members online.
You are an Anonymous user. You can register for free by clicking here |
|  |
Photo Pages: Langdale Axe Factory - Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry in England in Cumbria
|
Submitted by Thorgrim on Saturday, 17 July 2004 Page Views: 11456
|
 Site Name: Langdale Axe Factory Country: England County: Cumbria Type: Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry
Nearest Town: Windermere Nearest Village: Great Langdale
Map Ref: NY274072 Landranger Map Number: 89
Latitude: 54.454977N Longitude: 3.121304W
Condition:| 5 | Perfect | | 4 | Almost Perfect | | 3 | Reasonable but with some damage | | 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site | | 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks | | 0 | No data. | | -1 | Completely destroyed |
4
Ambience:| 5 | Superb | | 4 | Good | | 3 | Ordinary | | 2 | Not Good | | 1 | Awful | | 0 | No data. |
4
Access:| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access | | 4 | Short walk on a footpath | | 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk | | 2 | A long walk | | 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find | | 0 | No data. |
2
Accuracy:| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates | | 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map | | 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map | | 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village | | 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town | | 0 | no data |
no data
Internal Links:    
External Links:               Langdale Axe Factory submitted by Thorgrim
When Professor Bill Cummins examined nearly 2000 Neolithic axes from finds all over England and Wales, he found that 27% were made from polished greenstone volcanic tuff from Great Langdale in Cumbria.
The British Museum's 1978 catalogue of 368 Neolithic axes found in the Thames lists 15 from Langdale and they have also been found in places as far apart as Northern Ireland and Peterborough. In fact, most of the Langdale axe finds are in Lincolnshire and the east midlands. Why were these axes so prized and how did they travel so far?
The greenstone comes from the intrusion of a narrow vein of tuff in the volcanic rocks of Great Langdale. Debris and hundreds of "reject" axes have been found on the scree slopes of Pike o' Stickle. Even today, Great Langdale is remote and the climb to the source of the stone is arduous. How did Neolithic peoples know that this vein of very special stone was there in such a remote and insignificant geological fault? How did they mine it, shape the axes and then polish them to perfection? Perhaps the most intriguing question is that of distribution. Were there long trade routes over the sea to Northern Ireland and across the breadth of Britain to Peterborough and Lincolnshire? Were the axes distributed by means of long chains of gift exchanges between persons of high status?
Why were these axes so special? Many of those found in eastern England have been well worn, but others show no sign of wear at all. They are often found in wet places as if they had been deliberately placed there as offerings. The stone from Langdale is found elsewhere, so why was it specifically taken from such a high and dangerous place - frost shattered pinnacles high up on the side of one of England's remotest valleys? Did the place of origin itself have special religious significance? Were the polished axes seen more as high status symbols than working axes? Is there a parallel with the symbolic maces found in Wiltshire barrows (in Devizes Museum)? Could these highly prized axes be symbols of wealth and authority preceded by the antler batons of the Palaeolithic and succeeded by the ceremonial whetstone of Sutton Hoo, field marshals' batons and the sceptre of today's monarchy?
Sources:
Alfred Wainwright: The Central Lakeland Fells
Francis Pryor: Britain BC
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this pageTo see the most up to date information please register for a free user account.
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by LivingRocks
The distinctive dome of Pike of Stickle, site of the Langdale Axe Factory. Seen at dusk from Harrison Stickle.
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by rich32
A view of Langdale Axe Factory from the top.
The lump in the middle is 'Pike of Stickle', the axe factory & scree is just to the left of the stickle. You can see a path leading up to the site from the left.
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by ArchaeologySafaris
Langdale Axe rough out, this one found early in the 20th century, before the current view that these should be left where they are found.
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by rich32
Langdale Axe Factory, Cumbria, NY274072
I ventured up Langdale to take some pictures of hand axes or fragments in situ. Having forgotten to take ropes and a parachute I thought better of it and this picture of the scree will have to do.
You get stunning views & a real sense of the danger that prehistoric man must have felt looking for the right stones.
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by stu
The Pike of Stickle axe factory and the scree shoot from the neolithic quarry. NY274074
 Langdale Axe Factory submitted by Thorgrim
Langdale Neolithic axe factory on the Pike o' Blisco.
(see article on Langdale Axes)
Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Nearby sites
In the following links * = Image available
Pop-up a map of these sites
Turn off the embedded Yahoo Map and other distractions
Pop-up a Google Map of these sites
Turn on all information for this site
4.2km E 101° Copt Howe* Cup and Ring marks / Rock Art (NY314058)
4.6km SE 134° Castle Howe (Cumbria) Hillfort (NY297032)
8.3km S 198° Round Cairn at Raven Nest Howe, Seathwaite Tarn Ring Cairn (SD257991)
8.5km SW 205° Ring Cairn, Tarn Brow, Seathwaite Tarn Ring Cairn (SD250990)
9.0km S 200° Ring Cairn at Woody Crag, Seathwaite Tarn Ring Cairn (SD254984)
9.0km NW 332° Castle Crag Hillfort* Hillfort (NY249159)
9.4km N 339° Bowder Stone* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NY255164)
9.5km SW 206° Ring Cairn, Lead Pike, Seathwaite Tarn Ring Cairn (SD247981)
9.5km SW 206° Ring Bank Enclosure, Lead Pike, Seathwaite Tarn Ring Cairn (SD246981)
10.3km N 359° Reecastle Crag* Hillfort (NY275175)
10.5km S 167° Banniside Stone Circle (SD286968)
10.5km W 256° Boat How Enclosure* Ancient Village or Settlement (NY17620330)
11.1km W 255° Low Longrigg NE* Stone Circle (NY172028)
11.1km W 254° Eskdale Moor* Stone Circle (NY173025)
11.1km W 255° Low Longrigg SW* Stone Circle (NY172027)
11.2km W 254° Brats Hill* Stone Circle (NY173023)
11.2km W 254° White Moss NE* Stone Circle (NY173023)
11.3km W 254° White Moss SW* Stone Circle (NY172023)
11.9km N 20° Shoulthwaite Hillfort* Hillfort (NY300188)
12.2km S 184° Bleaberry Enclosure* Ancient Village or Settlement (SD267950)
12.6km S 186° Bleaberry Haws* Stone Circle (SD264946)
14.3km N 354° Millennium Stone, Derwent Water* Modern Stone Circle / Monolith (NY268215)
14.3km E 93° Hird Wood Stone Circle (NY417059)
14.7km NE 64° St Patrick's Well (Patterdale)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NY388166)
14.8km W 271° Mecklin Park Cairn (NY126079)
Search the web for Langdale Axe Factory with
Google.
Search the web for Langdale Axe Factory Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry with
Google.
Try a Google search for images of Langdale Axe Factory
New: Google Scholar search for references to Langdale Axe Factory |
|
 | |
| Guidestones to the Great Langdale Axe Factories |
 |
| Auto-Translation (Google) |
|
Translate from English into:
|
|
Re: Langdale Axe Factory (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Thursday, 31 May 2007 | | The nearest town is Ambleside not Windermere, sorry to be picky, and Langdale isnt exactly remote when compared to other Lake District valleys, such as Ennerdale for example | [ Reply to This ]
|
6000-Year-Old Trade Link Between Clare & Cumbria Identified (Score: 1)
by coldrum on Thursday, 11 September 2008
(User Info | Send a Message) | Clare Museum and the Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) at University College Dublin have uncovered evidence of a 6000-year-old trade link between Ireland and Great Britain.
A stone axe uncovered in Doolin, County Clare in 2000 was this week confirmed as having likely originated in the Great Langdale and Scafell areas of Cumbria.
According to John Rattigan, Curator of Clare Museum, 'The linking of this stone axe with Cumbria suggests there was contact between Neolithic people in Ireland and in mainland Great Britain.'
The Neolithic or ‘New Stone
Age' (4000-2500BC) is generally regarded as the period in which Ireland became a predominantly agricultural-based society.
As well as being the first Irish farmers, the people of this period were the creators of field systems and the builders of great tombs such as those found in the Burren in County Clare. Tools, usually in the form of stone axes, were used to clear great tracts of oak and elm woodland, which covered most of the country.
'Studies on the finely polished implement have found that it is different to the typical dark grey shale axes produced at a site close to the cobble beach at Doolin. More significantly, petrological analysis indicates that the pale green axe was of a type of stone known as tuff, which is typical of the tools produced in Cumbria. This discovery reinforces suggestions that trade links existed between the west of Ireland and western Britain during the Neolithic era', stated Mr. Rattigan.
The stone axe will be on display at Clare Museum in Ennis from tomorrow (Tuesday May 20). Also included for display will be a recently conserved bronze axehead acquired by the museum in 2004.
Mr. Rattigan explained, 'This socketed and looped axehead was discovered at Knockliscrane in Kilmurry-Ibrickane, County Clare. Although badly damaged by time and weathering the metal has been conserved and stabilised, thus ensuring its survival into the future.'
Clare Museum acquired a collection of archaeological objects from Doolin townland in North Clare in 2000.
As a designated museum under the National Monuments Act the museum was legally entitled to retain these objects on behalf of the state. Wishing to know a bit more about the axes in its care and wanting to contribute to a national study, the implements were sent to Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) at UCD in Dublin for analysis in November 2007.
The aim of the ISAP is to establish a database of all known Irish stone axes and analyse the data to enhance knowledge of the different types, roles and significance of stone axes in Ireland.
http://www.pr-inside.com/year-old-trade-link-between-clare-r598088.htm | [ Reply to This ]
|
|
Main News