Scheduled Monument: Medieval Boundary Marker At Saddlebole, 180M West Of Findlow Farm (1020193)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Medieval boundary marker at Saddlebole, 180m west of Findlow Farm PARISH: ALDERLEY EDGE OVER ALDERLEY DISTRICT: MACCLESFIELD COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 33861 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ86027808 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a late medieval, stone boundary marker at Saddlebole on Alderley Edge. Locally these boundary markers are referred to as `merestones'. It is located close to the crest of a bank which forms the boundary between the former medieval parishes of Chorley and Over Alderley and was also the boundary between the estates of the Stanley family and the De Traffords. The merestone is noted in the May 1598 perambulation of the boundaries on Alderley Edge. The merestone has fallen from its original position and a small archaeological excavation by the Manchester Museum and The National Trust survey team in 1997 has located its original position on the crest of the bank about 0.70m to the west. The stone is a rectangular block of Engine Vein conglomerate and measures 1.20m by 0.75m and is 0.55m high above ground level. There is a deep cut cross in the top of the stone, about 0.30m across the arms. The excavation also established that the bank was built of earth or turf with large stones and was revetted with timber for about 5m on either side of the merestone with the socket for the stone in the middle of the revetted section. The base of the bank is about 4m across and there was a shallow ditch to provide material for the bank on either side. The bank stands 0.70m high at this point. This revetted section is included in the scheduling, forming an area of protection of 10m by 8m. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE The medieval boundary bank together with the stone boundary marker form an important association which has been recorded in a late medieval perambulation document dating to 1598. An excavation in 1997 has also demonstrated that the bank was revetted with timber at this point and this constitutes a rare addition to our knowledge of parish and estate boundaries of this period. The site of the monument is visited by many people who come to The National Trust woodlands at Alderley Edge and so the stone and bank provide both recreational and educational interest for the public. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 20th July 2001