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The voice of Hillam village. Volume 28 Issue 4 august - sept 2015
Evidence of Neolithic Man discovered on “Our Patch” Before the Normans, before the Saxons and before the Romans ABOUT 45 YEARS AGO CHRIS LINK WAS HARROWING To avoid the marshy Vale of York these ancient people mainly travA FIELD AT BURTON COMMON FARM, CLOSE TO BLUEBELL WOOD ON A MF35X TRACTOR .
the end of AT the row he realised
elled along the quite narrow but relatively dry Magnesian Limestone Ridge which runs north-south for approximately 80 miles between Wetherby and Worksop. Burton Salmon stands on the eastern edge of this Ridge.
that one of the tines had somehow managed to impale a small stone through a circular hole in it. He put it in his pocket and took it home, no doubt to show Pam. It was put on display and, whenever anyone showed interest, he or Pam would let them handle it. It was just a curiosity and no doubt there were many theories put forward as to what it might be.
Interestingly this latest find dates back to the same period as the large Prehistoric Wooden Henge the earth banking of which is still evident on a site close to the present Ferrybridge Power Station. It is thought that this Henge, which is apparently larger than the famous “Stone Henge”, was supported by a number of smaller outlying satellite monuments, one of which is thought to have been located on Burton Common Lane near to the present Burton Salmon cricket ground. This has been relatively recently identified from the air by a distinctive circular marking in a growing crop.
Neolithic Man from a small block of Dolerite, probably mined from the extensive Whin Sill deposits which stretch across Southern Northumberland. This rock is very hard and isotropic and thus ideal for shaping into hand tools and weapons. It would have taken many hundreds of hours to fashion this tool so it would not have been discarded lightly. It is about 12cms/5ins long but unfortunately part of the sharp end has broken off, possibly on impact. It has an hourglass shaped through hole close to the blunt end which would have held the haft and the whole surface is very smooth.
Stuart Wroe Burton Salmon.
Finally if you want to know more about our local history, please come along to the talk to be given to the combined On 16th June this year the conundrum was solved when two emi“Monk Fryston and Burton Salmon Time Team” by Mr Ian nent Yorkshire based archaeologists, Simon Tomson and Ian Roberts, Roberts BSc FSA MIfA, the recently retired Director of Arwere shown the stone by Chris and Pam. It was the day after the start chaeological Services West Yorkshire Archaeological Society, of the “Monk Fryston Dig”. Both immediately identified it as a Late at the Community Centre Monk Fryston at 7:30pm on Neolithic/ Early Bronze Age Mace Head and dated it from between Wednesday 23rd September . 2500 – 2000 B.C. They think that it would have been fashioned by
“We are sad to say goodbye to Mrs Boulton who has given tremendous service to our school over the last 18 years. She is a fantastic teacher and an inspiration to many people. As an aside, parts of the spectacular Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Wall She has made sure that our chilwere subsequently built along the top of lengthy outcrops of this rock dren get the very best start in their nearly 2000 years ago and therefore long after the stone for this Mace education throughout her time with Head was quarried. us.” (see page 11)
It would have been used by one of the nomadic hunter gatherers that Rick Weights passed this way after the last Ice Age. It was probably acquired from other nomads from the north in exchange for furs, food or other Headteacher, Monk Fryston School scarce commodities.
Also in this issue… Ordination Service p18 John Charles of Juventus and Leeds United page 4
Leeds CAMRA Rural Pub of the year 2014/15 The Chequers. Ledsham page 6
QR barcode reader needed on page 7 Future plans at Monk Fryston Stores page 9
I want a word with your owner, Dear Doggie page 25
REDROW see pages 5, 8, 15 and 21 Great Spotted Woodpeckers page 6
Doug Hought doesn’t mention the Ashes page 24
Wedding Bells at Burton Salmon FitCamp! Page 14 What’s Real Madrid doing in Hillam News, page 12 - football
The days are drawing in. Time to think bonfire page 22 Time Team archaeological dig page 21
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