Monument record 1446/5/1 - Abbadine's Smelting Site

Abadine's Smelting site at Edge House Farm. Nothing survives above ground of the furnaces but spreads of slag and rock with lead and copper ore can be seen just below the turf. The area is much disturbed by later burning of refuse, the dumping of tile and brick plus earlier farmyard activity. The approximate area for the furnace (s) has been delineated by a geochemical survey and a noted Pb/Cu anomaly in the soil. Roeder claimed to have found outlines of a square building and much strewn slag and copper in 1901 (1).
Nigel Dibben points out that the attribution to ‘Abbadine’ is largely based on Holland, 1808 and Stanley, 1843. Attempts to trace Abbadine have indicated a possible link with a Mr Hibberdine of Macclesfield (2).

<1> 1998, Alderley Edge Landscape Project Archive (Unpublished Report). SCH4334.

<2> Dibben, Nigel, 2006, Personal Communiication (Written Communication). SCH4768.

<3> Timberlake, S. and Prag, A.J.N.W., 2005, The Archaeology of Alderley Edge (Book). SCH4769.