[Home Grown]

Many thanks Retlaw and Moved to Bolton - some interesting info you gave there.

Sorry Retlaw, perhaps you missunderstood me when I talked about Spire Farm having connections to the Kings Highway. I did not mean that I thought it was actually on the Highway, but just that it was close enough to the highway to have probably used it in medieval times - and likely have had a track leading from the farm to the highway in the past - especially given it's monkish connections - as my theory is that the Kings Highway originally ran to or through Whalley (only a theory). That's the main reason I would love to get permision to detect there. Maybe I should write to the present owners - but I don't know what they are called.

Moved to Bolton - I haven't heard your story before that the Kings Highway is an old drover's road leading from Manchester to Lancaster, but that too would make sense - although my suspision is, that it is at least medieval if not earlier as Medieval trackways rarely run along valley bottoms, but usually run along the sides of hills - just like the Kings Highway. Plus old roads given the name "The Kings Highway" usually have medieval connections, as relatively fast routes for the transportation of messages from the king to his earls or ecclesiastical landowners.

Thanks again