Details

The monument includes a late medieval, stone boundary marker at Saddlebole on
Alderley Edge. Locally these boundary markers are referred to as `merestones'.
It is located close to the crest of a bank which forms the boundary between
the former medieval parishes of Chorley and Over Alderley and was also the
boundary between the estates of the Stanley family and the De Traffords. The
merestone is noted in the May 1598 perambulation of the boundaries on Alderley
Edge.
The merestone has fallen from its original position and a small archaeological
excavation by the Manchester Museum and The National Trust survey team in 1997
has located its original position on the crest of the bank about 0.70m to the
west. The stone is a rectangular block of Engine Vein conglomerate and
measures 1.20m by 0.75m and is 0.55m high above ground level. There is a
deep cut cross in the top of the stone, about 0.30m across the arms. The
excavation also established that the bank was built of earth or turf with
large stones and was revetted with timber for about 5m on either side of the
merestone with the socket for the stone in the middle of the revetted section.
The base of the bank is about 4m across and there was a shallow ditch to
provide material for the bank on either side. The bank stands 0.70m high at
this point. This revetted section is included in the scheduling, forming an
area of protection of 10m by 8m.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The medieval boundary bank together with the stone boundary marker form an
important association which has been recorded in a late medieval perambulation
document dating to 1598. An excavation in 1997 has also demonstrated that the
bank was revetted with timber at this point and this constitutes a rare
addition to our knowledge of parish and estate boundaries of this period. The
site of the monument is visited by many people who come to The National Trust
woodlands at Alderley Edge and so the stone and bank provide both recreational
and educational interest for the public.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Manchester Museum and National Trust Survey 1998
Other
Manchester Museum and National Trust Survey,

Source: Historic England