Cumberland and Westmorland
Antiquarian and Archaeological Society
1866-2016
w w w.cum briapast.com
KENDAL
MUSEUM
THE WATERCROOK FACE JAR
& CWAAS
STONE AXES OF THE CENTRAL
LAKELAND FELLS
This Roman face jar was found at
Watercrook by Col. North and donated
to Kendal Museum. It is thought that
these vessels were sometimes used as
urns for cremated human remains.
(Kendal Museum. Photograph: George
Samuel Platt photography, 2015)
The Roman fort at
Watercrook lies to the
south of Kendal on a
meander of the River
Kent. It was one of a series of Roman fortifications
in Cumbria and was initially constructed in wood
around AD 90 and rebuilt in stone around AD
130. It was occupied until approximately AD 270.
The fort was first studied in 1887 after a severe
drought led to the increased visibility of some of
the fort’s roads and buildings.
CWAAS has been involved in three excavations at
Watercrook. In 1931 and 1944 two excavations
took place directed by Colonel Oliver North. A
further excavation was conducted by Dr. Timothy
Potter of Lancaster University in 1974-5, and the
report was subsequently published by CWAAS.
LT-COL. OLIVER NORTH
(1874-1954)
North was an active member of CWAAS
from 1908 and President from 1945-47.
(Source: TCWAAS NS vol. 55. Photograph:
Cumbria County Council: Kendal Library)
These five axe rough outs were discovered close together in the Central Lakeland
Fells by Mike Boyd. Unlike many rough-outs that have been found, these had
not been abandoned due to accidental breakage, but were the finished product
requiring only polishing.
(Kendal Museum. Photograph: George Samuel Platt photography, 2015)
Kendal Museum has many collections of
Mesolithic and Neolithic tools that have been
donated by members of CWAAS. In particular
there are a number of collections of axe roughouts discovered in the Central Lakeland Fells.
They were worked around six thousand years
ago, and were made on site from tuff, an ancient
volcanic rock. They were roughly shaped using
hammer stones and then transported to coastal
areas, such as Ehenside Tarn, near Beckermet,
where they were polished smooth.
The Museum has several collections of axe roughouts whose donors were members of CWAAS.
These include axes collected by R.G. Plint, who
was Honorary Treasurer of CWAAS from 1958
to 1974, as well as collections donated by Mike
Davies-Shiel and Clare Fell.
COL. NORTH (on the far right) during
the excavation at Watercrook in 1931.
This and other excavations uncovered many
Roman finds most of which were donated
to Kendal Museum.
(Source: TCWAAS NS vol. 32. Photograph:
Cumbria County Council: Kendal Library)
Replica of a finished axe after polishing.
Polished Lakeland axes were traded
throughout the country, with large
concentrations found in east Yorkshire
and in Ireland.
(Replica courtesy of LDNPA. Photograph:
George Samuel Platt photography, 2015)
Dr. Timothy Potter’s plan shows the site
of Watercrook Roman fort during the
excavations of 1974-75.
(Source: T. W. Potter, Romans in North West
England, 1979)
CLARE FELL FSA (1912-2002)
Clare Fell read Archaeology and
Anthropology at Cambridge University,
and was a leading figure in British
prehistoric archaeology. She was
President of CWAAS from 1963 to
1966. Her study of the axe factories of
the Central Lakeland Fells led to her
becoming a leading expert in that field.
‘Romans in North -West England’
by T W Potter:
CWAAS published this volume, which
includes the 1974-5 Watercrook
excavation reports, in 1979.
MIKE DAVIES-SHIEL (1929-2009)
Mike Davies-Shiel graduated in Geology from Birmingham University in 1950.
While teaching in Windermere he carried out fieldwork in the Central Lakeland
Fells. His work on axe chipping sites brought him to the attention of Clare Fell
and he became a member of CWAAS in 1964.
(Source: Cumbria Industrial History Society)
dal Museum Final
This panel was researched and written by: Ailsa Gill, Wendy Kennedy, Wanda Lewcun
and Lucy Passman with photographs by George Platt. All are Kendal College students
studying for the Diploma in Cultural Heritage at Kendal Museum. Project Supervised by
Morag Clement, Archaeology Curator.
CWAAS 150
Pantone 425C
C-0 M-0 Y-0 K-77
Pantone 158C
C-0 M-61 Y-97 K-0
Pantone Black C
C-0 M-13 Y-49 K-98