Ancient Roads and Trackways in Quernmore/Lancaster

Ancient Roads and Trackways in Quernmore/Lancaster
Phil Hudson
in a landscape. They are an important
anthropogenic element as a first indication of settlement and continuity of land occupation. Roads, like
boundaries, are linear features which can split up an area defining its limits or extents. But boundaries differ
in use as they are designed to restrict and delineate whereas roads usually affect access and movement,
though at the same time can also be an integral part of a boundary system.
There are several examples to be found in Quernmore Forest where a boundary is accompanied by a road or
trackway, eg. part of the park perimeter and the Caton-Quernmore bounds. But there are also examples
Roads and boundaries are man-made features which usually endure
where a road crosses and bisects areas of enclosed land.
A road is one major factor that contributes towards development as it can determine the use and exploitation
of an area, and usually has a lasting imprint on the landscape. The road network in an area, therefore, is a
vital factor in affecting movement of people, goods and produce, and without such a system servicing the
study area, much of the economic activity which has been carried out in Quernmore Forest would have been
difficult if not impossible.
There seems no doubt that in the pre-Conquest period there were some well used trackways which would
have been part of the communications network for the many small, often defended circular ring-dyke
farmsteads found in the area. Butler (l92Dl makes reference to a "ridgeway" that passed through Quernmore
on a north-south line, following the high scarp via Grimshaw Lane and across the River Lune ford to Halton.
An extension of this ran through Quernmore from Castle O'Trim up to High Cross Moor.2
This was probably the route, parts of which are still in use, taken by the Earlsgate, recorded in the medieval
period. This route, which could be prehistoric in origin, was possibly the basis for the one which was in place
during the Roman period when, it is assumed, there was a main road system in the north west created and
maintained by the Romans.3 It is also assumed that the Romans had a network of minor roadsa or trackways5
to give access to their industrial sites and potteries6 on the eastern side ofthe valley.T
Marshall (19778 infers that roads that show any traces of civil engineering, eg surface metaling, culverts,
side walls etc, would indicate Roman or monastic origins. Richardson,e in his work o n Inglewood Forest,
has references to an extensive minor road network linked to possible allocation by centuriation of lands to
veteran Roman solders.
There are no signs of centuriation to be seen in the Quernmore Forest area, unless the fragments of linear
stone wall banked and hedged boundaries, and some trackways, are relicts of this period. But, until this
undated field evidence is supported it has to be discounted.
Some of these ancient roads, driftways and trackways must still have been in use at the Conquest, giving
reasonable movement between the vill settlements, small farms and possibly some shielings up on the higher
ground. This state of affairs possibly prevailed until there was the disruption of the Hoton Vill lands,
afforestation and then the major emparking in the northern half of the forest area.
Evidence from the 1278 New Park agreement indicates that there were rights of way, possibly in the form of
recognised roads, across the northern part of the forest for the men of Lancaster to access their pastures and
lands to the east. The Township of Lancaster's Quernmore rights must have been defined pre-Conquest, as it
appears that there were never any claims to pasture or other common rights by any of the other pre-Conquest
township vills in the area, e.g. Bowerham, Bulk, Caton, Ellel, Halton or Scotforth, which all abut the
Quernmore or the Quernmore commons, before the nineteenth century. The exceptions were Littled ale,
where in 1541 Baines disputed his family right to corlmon in connection with their Cragg holding (even
though this right was only thought to date from the Gernet grant of cl2}O), and the Rowton-Hareappletree
area, where the tenants disputed the right of "endlonge". In sworn statements many said the King's tenants of
Quernmore.(these are not the men of Lancaster township) had always had Common endlonge of the hedge of
Quernmorelo
This is strange, unless the men of these vills were treated as Lancaster Township men, with the same rights
as those from Lancaster, but this seems unlikely as none of these vills were involved in the costs of enclosure
in 1817.t1 The known exception was Caton, as Caton was in the capital manor of Austwick at Domesday, so
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could have no claim on Quernmore common. The problem is further compounded by the fact that if this right
was only available to the Lancaster men, (with Skerton.and Slyne with H est which were always part of or
linked to Lancaster Township and shared the commons)r2 all the movement from these vills on io ih" euern
m ore common had to pass through either Lancaster Moor, Bulk, Bowerhain or Scotforth. In the case of Hest
a route through either Halton or Bulk would have been the shortest. Though most of these township
villshadtheirown commons, they were not very extensive.
It would seem a reasonable assumption that references could be found in documents related to the
pre-medieval roads, perhaps on the line of Roman period routes, showing drift ways or drove roads which
could accommodate these stock movements. But as yet these have not been identified, even though there are
many ancient roads and tracks found and mapped which pass through Quernmore in the right direction, eg.
the "Kings Highway" through the parks, named trackways like "The Earlesgate", part of "Grimshaw[argh]"
Lane, and the "rakes", leading on to the waste and fells to the east, which must once have crossed the
Fell-Dykes.'' These were probably some of many roads and trackways which Gibson closed or altered in the
late eighteenth century. However, no record has yet been found in the foresters' accounts or other medieval
documents, of any road making activities or repairs to roads.ra
However, once the medieval roads and tracks were in place, there would have been a need to develop more
practical and permanent roads to the north and south of the parked area. This need would have developed the
main system along the south bank of the River Lune through to Caton - Brookhouse and Hornby, e.g., the
precursor of the turnpike of 1750. At least one road, and possibly several trackways, ran through to the
common lands from west to east giving access to exploit the primary resources. There was also a road which
would affect communications and stock movement from the Lancaster area to the estates and vaccaries
inland, in Wyersdale and then through the Bowland Gap (the Trough) to the settlements further inland.'rs
Butler (1921) developed this idea and identified it with the "Earlsgate", mentioned in the bounds charters, a
medieval route to Yorkshire through Quemmore via High Cross Moor, the Trough and Slaidburn.
It has to be assumed, therefore, that by the late sixteenth century the main road network would have been in
place, but not quite on the line seen today. There would have been a good system of main roadways, with
lanes and trackways leading to settlements and farms. Linked to these main roadways there would have been
some minor access tracks and footpaths, the sum total making a very complex communication system which
is now very difficult to map, interpret and date. An effort has been made to locate all these and the results are
seen in the map, with an interpretation of the probable medieval system.
One conclusion can b e drawn immediately: that the communication system is much more involved and
complex than would be expected in an area which has been Royal emparked forest and controlled commons.
The area has never been considered to have been densely populated, nor to have had many ancient villages or
hamlets within its bounds, such habitation being only found on the perimeter. Many of the farms within the
forest area are thought to be of quite recent foundation, with most dating from the post-Conquest period or
the parliamentary enclosure awards.
The system of roads seen in place today, therefore, is a mixture of ancient and modern: modern in the sense
that most of the public road system dates from the last 250 years (since the establishment of turnpikes). The
Quernmore road pattern is one that was influenced by the changing ownership and designated use of the
land. For example, when Charles Gibson built the new Park Hall in cI792 and landscaped the parklands
around it, he also diverted the public road network to take the traffic away from the centre of his estate to the
margins. Latet, in the early nineteenth century the enclosure commissioners created new roads and altered
the line of existing ones. The north-south road from Ellel to Caton was moved further to the east and the
Moor road out of Lancaster up to the Pointer at SD 507 514 was also altered to realign the roads in North
Quemmore onto the routes that are in use today.
Before the Lancaster-Richmond Turnpike Trust was established in 1750,t7 one of the main routes ran across
Lancaster Moor, between High Style and Old Parkside farm. This road then went through the old
Quernmore
Park past Old Park Hall to Deys Barn, and then north of Glqsgarth Hall over the bridge near the Caton Forge
at SD 531 635 and across the fields to Brookhouse Churchr8 This is part of the route ihown on Ogilby's mip
dated l675tn Where Ogilby's route differs is to the west of Park Hall where his route runs due west ihrough
Bulk Vill and then on into Lancaster.
There were at least three routes south through Quernmore. The two more easterly roads ran from near Old
Park Hall to Deys Barn where the road divided. One branch ran east up-towards Heights, then this again
branched at the park boundary. The southern line, called Green Hill Road,20 ran along the scarp past Gurnells
and Askews to rejoin the one which ran to Heights Farm, down to near the modern Rushy Lee farm and then
split and ran south on or to the east of Rigg Lane. The second branched at Deys Barn to run through the park,
past the site where Gibson later built the New Hall and on down to postern Gatezl
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Distribution and location of roads.
trackways and lanes in Quemmore
Pm(1ee2)
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At this point the road branched again, with one branch running west towards Lancaster Moor
and one to
Bowerham and Scotforth, via the Pointer.22 The other branch appeared to take a line which skirted the park
boundary past Corney Hill and Friars Moss up to the pointer and also branched to re join the previous Gieen
Hill Road branch just north of Askew Hill.
The road system of south Quernmore and the Commons area is now discussed. Unfortunately, there are no
maps of this area which pre-date the Townley Hall road map of c.168523 referred to below and elsewhere as
the "Townley Road" map. This map has few place names or other landscape details, so is very difficult to
interpret. It does show that there was a road, or track, from Lancaster to the fell above Fell End farm, with
several others crossing or branching off it. The map shows a road running eastwards from Lancaster Town
towards Lancaster Moor via Moor Lane. It then runs through north Bowerham and part of Scotforth. to the
north of the Conder Mill, to Far Lodge. It then continues on a route due east, running up to Fell End farm to
the north of the two vaccary estates of Rowton Brook and Hareappletree and up onto Clougha Beacon. If it
carried on further eastwards it must have run over the fell to Lee and on into Over Wyresdale and Bowland.
This shows a totally different route to the present Lancaster-Clitheroe road, which was presumed to be in use
in the eighteenth century. This road was re-aligned to its present course on the enclosure of the euernmore
commons
in
1817.
However, it seems that there were many changes in the road system in the south of Quernmore area at this
time. These changes are shown on a prel800 unprovenanced sketch map of the commons area. The map, by
William Hall2a shows an older road network, with the improved and new enclosure roads superimposed.^This
map, and another one other dated 1810,25 shows there were other major changes which n""d to be compared
with the pre-seventeenth and the early nineteenth-century enclosure roads. There was a complete re-driwing
of the roads around the Pointer Area to the north west, possibly immediately after the 1817 enclosure award.
The Conder Mill to Quernmore Cross Roads section was moved to run on the south of Rowton Beck, when
part of it used to run across the other side by Narr Lodge and over an old bridge in the south west corner of
Lodge land. This road once crossed the Conder further upstream by another old stone bridge and went up
Scythe Stone Lane, into Little Fell Lane, and appears to have been part of the late seventeenth century
"Townley Road" to Lancaster.
Branching off the "Townley Road" was a road built to access the new copyhold lands dating from c 1500 and
linked to present day Long Lane. A map of c1815 shows small crofts/enclosed lands with a building called
'poor-house'. This has a road way up to it to the south/east from Conder Mill called "Coopy Kiddy Road" and
running past the poor-house building is "Wardeen Lea Footway" giving access to Long Lane. This is the area
of land enclosed in the early sixteenth century, possibly re-occupying an abandoned earlier settlement site, is
now known as Copyholds and Lee End. Part of this old road system was a branch which ran due north from
the Lodge land, past the old pinfold at SD 521 596 and on to the line of Rigg Lane.27 It then went up the
Green Hill Road,28 mentioned above, then ran o n into Littledale via Baines Gate and Cragg. This roadirom
Lodge land also branched just after the pinfold to run up to Fe^ll End Farm. This is the old road, part of the
"Townley Road" to Fell End, later called Trough Brook Road2e and must date from the sixteenth century or
earlier.3o It is mentioned elsewhere that this old road also cut across the headrace for the Old Rowton Mill.
Traces of this now long disused road can still be seen, and parts of it are in use today as farm and field
access, e.g. in Rigg Wood at SD 527 598 and in the fields to the west of Fell End Farm. There was also a
branch which ran due south and linked to the Littledale road, often referred to as the road to Garstang.
The area around the Pointer perhaps had the oldest roads: one running NNE to the Postern Gate is designated
as possibly Roman by Leather, albeit a minor one.3t Parts of this road can still be seen as a relict raised linear
feature in the fields to the north of the present day Quemmore-Caton road around SD 508 615. This road
fragment also has traces of a ditch on one side so it could also have been used as a boundary fence.3z
The map of the Quernmore roads shows the complexity of the system with several other minor roads and a
network of trackways of differing ages which could all do with some further investigation.
Notes
l. Butler, M.E. A Survey of the Geographical Factors that have Controlled the History of Lonsdale. Unpublished M.A.
University or Liverpool 1921, 3O-4O.
2. Schofield, J. History of Over Wyresdale. 1909, 6.
3. Watkin, W.T. Roman Lancashire. Brakewell 1883, reprinted S.R 1969,84.
4. Simpson, Rev. R. The History and Antiquities of Lancaster. Edmondson Lancaster, 1852. There is a reference on
page 96 that in the opinion of his day the Romans had minor roads in the areas in which they had regular activity, these
'a:tF
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were constructed with a hard core of packed rubble and only seven feet maximum wide, many such road constructions
are to be seen in Quernmore area.
5. Bellis, R. Roman Roads in Lancashire Contrebis, Vol. 2 No 1. 1974, 33-37 and Potts, W.T.W. and Hudson, P.J. The
Roman Road in Caton and Quernmore. Contrebis VoI19.1994.
6. Leather, G.M. and Webster, P.V.(1988) "The Quernmore Kilns", Jones, G D B and Shorter, D C A "Roman
Lancaster. Rescue Archaeology In An Historic City 1970-75." Brigantia Monograph, 85-93.
7. Traces of trackways and road fragments are found in this area which when complete could have joined up a network
to access these areas, Littlefell, Barr Lodge, Rigg Lane, Lower Lythe, Fell End, Eskews, Pointer and Lancaster.
8. Marshall, J.D. Old Lakes. Kendal, undated. 77.
9. Richardson, A. Cumberland & Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society, CWAA,: Vol.82 p67-7 l, &
Vol.84.7l-8.
10. Pape,T.(1 952) op.cit,43.
I I . Lancaster Corporation Minute Book, B, 28, has a
bill of account for inclosure (enclosure) of Quernmore dated l4th
February 1816, total amount was 2154.18s.0d, and was split four ways between the townships of Skerton, Slyne,
Lancaster and the Lancaster Corporation.
12. It must be remembered that these vills were at this period townships or manors, all part ofthe large ecclesiastical
Parish ofLancaster.
13. For further discussion and examples in Cumbria see Winchester, A.J.L. (1987) op.cit, 88-9.
14. For an early reference to problems on footpaths and rights of way see Shaw ( 1956) op.cit., I 72. Extracts: From 1 359
Eyre records ...John Laurence of Ashton had obstructed a common right of way in Ellel, called the Cokshotes,for 20
years, and Edward son of John had obstructed it for two years, and the lord of Aldingham stopped a path from
Cockerham to Ellel, and they were presented.
15.L.R.O., Map of QuernmoreCommons,by William Hall, DDHH Box No.13-14.
16. Butler, M.E. (1921) op.cit.,48.
17. Harrison, W. The Development of the Turnpike System in Lancashire and Cheshire, Transactions of the Lancashire
and Cheshire Antiquarian Society Vol. 4 1886, & Vol. 9 1891.
18. A map in Gregsons Fragments, pub 1869 and Edited by John Harland, has a copy of rnap signed and dated W S R
1598 and a given the No. 6159 H L MSS, as copied by M Gregson 1821, this shows Gresgarth on Quernmore at a point
where the present Old Park Hall, Quernmore is located and the area is surrounded by a pale with Grasgarth in the
centre. This puts the site on a similar location to that seen on Ogilby's road map c 1660.
19. Ogilby, J. "Britannia, Volume the First; or an Illustration of the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales. By a
Geographical and Historical Description ofthe Princapal Roads thereof." 1675, plate 88.
20. The place-name origin green hill and green road is obscure, and Ekwall makes little reference to it, stating the grene
element is from 0. E or M. E. perhaps associated with the colour of vegetation etc. see Ekwall, E. (1960) op.cit, 204-5.
In a more recent work, Field, J. A. History of English Field Names. Longman 1993,221, suggests Green Lane
embodies the name of an occupation road giving access to fields or selions. This would explain this Green name
element occurring up on an area where there was arable lands seen in the relict field system, see Askew Hill survey,
elsewhere.
21. L.R.O. Maps Collection, DDHH Box 13. This map dated l815 shows Postern Gate Road running from Quernmore
cross-roads to the Postern Park Gate, with part old and new construction.
22. This is postulated as a Roman period road by Leather and Belis.
23. Speed's map of Lancaster dated 1610 does show two roads on the east side of the town on is the road running south
of the River Lune to Caton, the other runs due east on about the line of the present Quernmore road, both of these are
considered by Leather to possibly be Roman in origin.
24. L.R.O., Maps Collection, DDHH Box No. 13.
25. L.R.O., Maps Collection. DDHH Box No.37.
26. L.R.O., Maps Collection. DDHH Box No.13.
27. L.R.O., DDHH Box 13. A map of 1815 has this shown as a new enclosure road 30 ft wide, running full length from
Quernmore Town end junction to Rushy Lee Farm.
28. This is not the road with the same name as marked on the modern map running past Stanley Farm. This appears to
be a new road created after the I 5 17 Award.
29. L.R.O., DDHH Maps Collection Box 13 map 1815 shows old roadway from of Postern Road after bridge over
Rowton Beck (N), running up fields and to east of Trough Brook, but is not shown as far as Fell End Road, ends in
large field marked for sale lot 5 to 168.3.0 ac, and in S E corner is written "Horse Shoe". Presumed to be part of the old
road up to Fell End, and shown on the "Townley Road" map.
30. When the millstone, stone and slate quarries were opened on Black Fell and Birk Bank, various sections of roads
were developed further or built anew, to access the sites, extending the earlier system and adding further to the
confusion.
31. Leather, G .M. "Roman Lancaster some excavation reports and some observations." B.D.P. Preston 1972,'71.
32. It is possibly a fragment of the western end of the Roman road which ran up the Lune Valley.
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