Monument record 15486 - Oak Mere

<1> Leah, MD; Wells, CE; Appleby, C; Huckerby, E, 1997, The Wetlands of Cheshire (North West Wetlands Survey 4), p.108-10, 112-13, 116-17 (Monograph). SCH3260.

The North West Wetlands project, undertaken between 1993-95, was an archaeological and paleoecological study of the varied wetlands of Cheshire. It includes Oak Mere which forms part of a series of wetlands around Delamere on the Mid-Cheshire Ridge, the sandstone escarpment which divides the eastern and western portions of the Cheshire Plain. During the last glaciation, the Mouldsworth drainage channel opened out here onto the east Cheshire Plain. The channel marks the point where a late-Glacial lake formed in front of the ice, which had temporarily stabilised along the western margins of the Ridge. Outwash sands were deposited in this lake and the final disappearance of glacial conditions resulted in an irregular surface, containing numerous hollows left by melting ice blocks. It was in these depressions that many of Delamere's wetlands subsequently developed.

Oak Mere lies to the south-east of the main forest of Delamere. The shape of the mere appears to have altered substantially over time. A plan dating to the seventeenth century, also a nineteenth century copy of another seventeenth century plan, both depict islands in the mere. The nineteenth century plan also labels an area to the north of the mere as 'Oake Mere Mosse'. Burdett's map of 1777 also depicts two islands, but these are absent from a plan of the forest of 1817 which, in other respects, is quite detailed. It is clear that the current mere is less extensive than in the past and much of the wooded area to the north, where there is active peat growth, was once under water.

Vale Royal Abbey (CHER 758/1/0), founded in 1277, owned much land in Delamere Forest. Amongst the priviledges enjoyed by the abbot, was the grant of a fishery on Oak Mere.

A prehistoric enclosure (CHER 848/1), which still survives as a prominent earthwork, is situated on the eastern shore of Oak Mere using the lake as a defence on its south-west side. Also, in 1935, a medieval dug out canoe (CHER 847) was recovered from the western shore of the mere buried in silt and gravel. It had been fashioned from half an oak log which had been hollowed out. Radiocarbon dating gave a date of cal AD 1395-1470.

Some 50 hectares of arable land was field walked around Oak Mere as part of the wetland project. Several pieces of struck flint were recovered from a variety of locations, most were a creamy white flint, potentially derived from drift deposits. In addition to the flint assemblage, four other worked stone finds were recovered including a part-polished Neolithic flint axe, a late Neolithic chert arrowhead, an early Bonze Age flint disc scraper and a partial late Neolithic/early Bronze Age flake knife. The shoreline of the lake, which consists of sand and gravel for most of its length, with peat at the northern end, was also examined. Although, no artefacts were recovered, a hard standing of sandstone blocks extending for circa 10m along the shoreline (SJ 57386754) was observed and, potentially, served to tie up boats. Interestingly, the dug out canoe was also found on the shoreline only circa 100m north of this possible landing site. Further field walking at Oak Mere during the 1994-5 season recovered a further two flint artefacts - a late Neolithic transverse arrowhead and a small late Neolithic/early Bronze Age scraper, perhaps significantly, both from the same field as the flaked flint axe.

Oak Mere illustrates the archaeological potential of the wetlands of Delamere and the Mid-Cheshire Ridge. Not only is there the potential of waterlogged, archaeological remains, as attested by the find of the log boat, but the amount and quality of the artefactual material recovered from the area surrounding the mere, is significant. There is also the potential for the peat deposits to contain historical palaeo-environmental information.