ANCIENT TRACKS ACROSS PILLING MOSS THE EVIDENCE

By Neil Thompson

In a paper published in the Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Historical Society in 1851, the Reverend Thornber, who referred to the Kate's Pad as the Danes Pad, says: -

The Danes Pad is formed of riven oak trees laid upon sleepers through which by square holes the planks are staked into the ground. Sometimes it is composed of one huge tree, at others, two or three, and its width varies from 20" to something more. It has been traced by Mr. Bannister and myself for a mile and a half into the interior of the moss.

As far as is known, this is the first recorded evidence of an ancient pathway leading into the moss. One wonders if they in fact traced the path or relied on reports from peat diggers working in the area. Certainly, there would be no better opportunity than now to observe, as the path would have been frequently exposed during the digging. There are many local legends of wooden tracks on the moss. Some tell of a path similar to the one described by the two Reverend gentlemen and the one (Kate's Pad) excavated by Pilling Historical Society in 1950. (An account of the investigation by the Society was published in Volume I of the Over-Wyre Historical Journal).

The part of the track which was uncovered or traced is situated in two fields on Moss Cottage Farm. It consists of riven oak trees up to 17ft in length, varying in width from 8ins to 15ins. Some trees seem to have been split into three. Evidently timber was scarce otherwise the people who laid the track would not have taken the trouble to split the trunks, they would surely have simply thrown the trunks down or been content to split them into two.

The track at this point, and from where it was last seen some years ago (found by peat diggers), runs in a south-westerly direction towards a gravel hill, which is some ten to twelve feet higher than the surrounding countryside and a hundred yards across. It is sometimes known as 'Friars Hill'. Mr. T. Ronson, the farmer who lives at Moss Cottage Farm, states that it has been seen in a field south of Hornby Road, even closer to the hill. (The hill is a drumlin left over from the Ice-Age). Also, he states, the track has been seen approximately three quarters of a mile due south of Friars Hill, north of Bull Foot Cottage which also stands on a hill. This is significant. The Reverend Thornber stated that it ran in the direction of Hales Hall. This has, however, yet to be proved.

A very noticeable feature was that the track, as reported by the Society in 1950, lies on heather in places, but is generally embedded in a layer of thick giant rush (Phragmites). This is only slightly decomposed (indicating wet conditions with quick growth) pointing to the fact that the track made its way through giant rush and would have been quite hidden by it. Members of Pilling Historical Society traced about 70 yds of track. The intended use of the track can only be guessed. Modern theory is that it may have been a simple path to a habitation laid in about 3 A.D., after the eruption of an Icelandic volcano caused a decline in the weather for several years. This may account for there being no wear on the timbers and the haphazard way in which they were laid. Whilst the volcanic theory may account for this, it by no means accounts for the other tracks. The other paths told of are something quite different. In the vicinity of Hornby Lane there have been several reports of a trackway over six feet wide having been found. The following was reported by Mr.J.Salisbury in 1996:-

During a conversation between Mr.J. Salisbury and Mr.H. Blackburn, Mr. Blackburn recalled that in the 1950's whilst peat digging near Chathill Farm, Rawcliffe, the remains of a wooden trackway some 6ft wide was frequently exposed. This consisted of two timbers running parallel with cross sleepers at regular intervals.

Also in conversation between Mr.J.Salisbury and Mrs. J. Ireland, Mrs.Ireland recalled that during the 1930's her father was employed at Ashtons Farm, Rawcliffe, and during peat digging a to the one described by wooden trackway very similar Mr.Blackburn was uncovered.

Members of Pilling Historical Society visited the home of Mr. Whiteside on Saturday the 9th November, 1996. Mr. Whiteside told them that as a young man he had been employed by Mr. J. Higginson who was the farmer at Moss Cottages (Iron House) in the 1920's. During the 8 years he was employed there, while turf cutting, they came across the remains of the pad. As he recalled, the timbers he saw were approximately 20ft in length and were a full trunk, riven in two and laid end to end to form the trackway. A sleeper made from a bough approximately 6ft in length was laid below these. The majority had a sleeper in the centre as well, but some had two. There was no evidence of any mortise holes, unlike the ones excavated by the Historical Society in 1950. Mr. Whiteside also recalled that the pad seemed to veer east of Moss Cottage.

There are other reports of a wooden trackway discovered near Ivy Farm nearly a mile from Moss Cottage Farm. This track was running north/south. The one Mr. Whiteside describes appears to run a more easterly course. The Reverend J.D.Bannister reports that the terminus of the track located by himself and the Reverend Thornber was in a field known as Penny Holes by the then owner Mr.Thompson. Indeed, if this is the same trackway as the one believed to have been built at the time of the volcanic eruption in 3 A.D., then at some two miles, it went to more than one habitation. Further evidence for a wooden trackway, this time some four miles southeast of Kate's Pad came from a local agricultural contractor in the 1970's. Whilst ploughing at North Woods Farm, a wooden trackway was uncovered. He described the construction of the path as being large trunks laid side by side in pairs.

It is not unreasonable to think that there may be several of these trackways running across Pilling Moss, and not just the one as thought in the past. An interesting discovery was made whilst logging finds in the area. It was noticed that where a grid reference was given for a find, these lined up frequently with several other finds in straight lines. One in particular from Staffords Farm, Cumming Carr, Bone Hill and Northwoods Farms. The number of finds along this route is quite staggering. The path described by Mr. Whiteside, if it ran slightly northeast, would take it by Bradshaw Lane Farm and in line with Staffords Farm. Again, there are many finds on this supposed route. If the reader recalls, Pilling Historical Society excavated a habitation at Bradshaw Lane Farm in 1951. (Also in line are the Bronze Age site and the Reverend Thornber's report of an ancient habitation at Bone Hill.)

The road which was reported in Volume VII of the Over-Wyre Historical Journal (1997) by members of the Society, running from Cabus near Garstang to Hambleton, is within 0.5 miles of Chathill, Hornbys Lane and Bull Foot Cottage. Did the trackway lead to this road? Dr. Peter Johnson, on his visit in February, 1996, said that the road was likely to have been a prehistoric track brought up to a higher standard in Roman times by local inhabitants. If Dr. Johnson is correct, then this track would put the site at Bleasdale very much in reach of the inhabitants of the mosses, possibly being used as a summer pasture by these people.

There is also some evidence of a coastal road. The late Mr.W. Dickinson, who was a member of the Society, came across a paved road below his land at Cockers Dyke. Also, close by, there was what was thought to be the agger of a road some 200 yds west in a field belonging to a Mr. Carter. Mr. Dickinson, being an experienced excavator who had worked on several sites around the Pilling area, there seems to be no reason to doubt his evidence. In the town of Preesall at the junction of Pilling Lane and Lancaster Road (about one mile from Cockers Dyke) is the site of the War Memorial known as the Mount. It is a large earth mound and has existed long before the memorial. Several writers mention this edifice, believing it to be of Roman construction - possibly a man-made mound used to align a road along the coast to Lancaster and the Lune Valley ?

The reader may ask why do we not find evidence of these tracks in the present day. In answer to this, most of the mosses were cleared over 100 years ago; anything found by the labourers of the day, unless they were interested, was destroyed. Only legends remain. The other possible answer to the question is that they are still waiting to be found. The road through Nateby is evidence of this. The wooden track at North Woods Farm is another.

For too long it has been believed that this part of Lancashire was sparsely inhabited in prehistoric times, evidence supports the theory that the population may have been when in fact the somewhat greater. I put forward this evidence for more than one track across the Moss and hope that more work will be done in the future to prove my theory.