Monument record 104/0/3 - Rock Farm

Evidence of small-scale quarrying revealed to rear of Rock Farm. Minor excavation by Patrick Greene 1973. A long, roughly rectangular quarry pit was excavated, 13m x 2m & up to 1.1m deep. Channels 0.2 - 0.5m had been cut into the stone with metal tools which left diagonal marks on the sides of the channels, which were V-shaped in section. The stone must have been split along its bedding plane by driving metal wedges horizontally into the rock face. In this way a face could be worked back, resulting in the rectangular shape of the quarry pit. Pottery found in the bottom of the pit indicated that it went out of use in the late 15th or early 16th century. Some of material may have been used in Rock Farmhouse believed to date from C15/early C16 (1) & (2).

<1> Beamont, W, 1873, A history of the Castle of Halton and the Priory or Abbey of Norton, /60 (Book). SCH7586.

<1> Greene J P, 1989, Norton Priory, /60 (Book). SCH2262.

<1> Brown, F & Howard-Davis C., 2008, Norton Priory: Monastery to Museum Excavations 1970-1987, p.60 (Monograph). SCH7585.

<2> County Historic Environment Record, 1973-1985, Cheshire Archaeological Bulletin, 2/33 Greene J P 1974 (Journal/Periodical). SCH565.

<3> The Society for Medieval Archaeology, 1957-Present, Medieval Archaeology, Greene J P 1974 18/223 (Journal/Periodical). SCH2131.