Posted - 19/08/2009 : 09:59
Wendy, I agree your photo shows it as looking perfectly spherical. It's a definite one for challenging the local museums! You said "I pulled a deep rooted weed out from between the stones in front of our barn..". Do you mean between paving stones (flags) or building stone or what? Has it been a yard for a long time and do you know if there has been a building on that patch?
Can you tell what sort of rock it is? Is it limestone like the chippings or some other local stone, or could it be stone from outside your area?
I wonder if stone balls were used as bearings in any kind of old machinery?
Posted - 19/08/2009 : 13:02
What a coincidence mentioning Bonnie Prince Charlie today as on the 19th August 1745 he raised his flag of rebellion at Glenfinnan. Nolic
Posted - 19/08/2009 : 16:24
It is an old farm yard Tizer, and you couldn't really call the stones flags or cobbles, they are just very well worn stones of all shapes and sizes. Its likely that parts of the yard and building are late 17th or early 18th century but I dont really know. Its all local sandstone. The ball looks like sandstone too. I like the idea of it being a large bovine gallstone! Someone has suggested that it could be a ball for knurr & spell?
Posted - 19/08/2009 : 19:19
Ooops, my mistake Stanley. Looking at the picture again they are definately wearing plaids. It was from a series of articles from the Colne & Nelson Times in 1923 by W J Titcomb called "The Ancient Roads Of Colne: their history and romance." In this article he claims that: " In the library of the Colne Mechanics Institute, dissolved some forty years ago, there was a copy of Baines' History of Lancashire, and in the margin at the part dealing with this locality were two written notes in these words or to the following effect: "1808. The present matron of the workhouse at Laneshawbridge remembers as a girl Highlanders from the 1745 invasion foraging among the farms at Black Lane Ends" and "Old Betty Shoesmith"."
If only my find was a cows gallstone. I've just Googled it and I could pay off the mortgage and Colin could give up work..........