Before The Land Forgets - Broadhead Noddle

Perched above the waters of Castleshaw Reservoir stands Broadhead Noddle. A place unknown to many hikers and hillwalkers, and forgotten by historians. Whilst it rests along the Pennine Bridleway, very little information about it is known. 

Broadhead Noddle lies within a prehistoric-rich corridor, north-west from the Castleshaw Roman fort and in close proximity to several recorded Bronze Age and Neolithic finds. Yet it has gone largely unnoticed or ignored by both historians and archaeologists alike, I fear that it is only the work of local historian Ammon Wrigley that documents this site. Yet he held faith that a significant key to Saddleworth’s ancient past lay waiting to be discovered. 

In 1911 Wrigley published a collection of his findings under the book “In Saddleworth: Its Prehistoric Remains”, within this he mentions findings of flint both worked and unworked, suggesting the location was used by our ancient ancestors.  His writings mention two mounds, one on the upper part of the hill (Mound A) and another south west of the hill (Mound B). He believed the upper mound lacked surface evidence at the time, yet the western mound, he described as showing a depression, suggesting it had been opened and rifled with at some point. 

For me, there are two important factors to consider. The first is that Wrigley did not rule out either of these mounds and believed further investigation would be needed. Given the limitations of technology available for that time was a large factor in why he was unable to do it. No HER records exist and there are no OS map markings that reference this feature, suggesting that it has not been previously investigated or catalogued in modern archaeological surveys. As Wrigley seems to be the only person interested (or at least recording) Saddleworth’s ancient sites, it explains why very little has been found since.  

As I write this, so much has changed since Wrigley wandered the moors. Locations that were once out of reach can now be accessed and looked at without even leaving the house. We have satellite images, Google maps and LiDAR scanning. With the affordability of drones, we are discovering ancient sites at a rate never before seen. 

Using Wrigley’s records as the groundwork for my investigation, I highlighted Broadhead Noddle as one of a handful of locations that could be one of Saddleworth’s forgotten ancient sites. Satellite image shows the mound on a high, visible ridge, its apparent man-made form and its lack of modern agricultural disturbance made it an ideal candidate for an undisturbed feature. 

Looking closely through LiDAR images, the feature appears as a raised, shadowed mound, with a slightly irregular, oval shape. The southern and western sides show a pronounced edge, which could be indicative of the site openings which Wrigley mentioned. 

After weeks of what felt like chasing shadows, it seems like I could at last have found some sort of breakthrough. The technology available has taken Wrigley’s notes and expanded on his beliefs, we can see now, over 110 years later - that as was his belief, there is something beneath this hill, that has laid dormant for centuries. 

Since discovering the folklore and ancient mythology of Saddleworth and discovering Wrigley’s work, it has been a passion project of mine to attempt to uncover more of our ancient past, a past that is in great danger of being forgotten or lost forever. Yet it is a past that I feel that very slowly, I am getting closer to. In the coming weeks I will visit Broadhead Noddle and hope that there are some visual signs that can further support mine and Wrigley’s belief. Then perhaps there is hope that we can begin to find more pieces of the lives of our ancestors. 

He believed that Saddleworth was a place that has a story, though none have read it. He strongly believed that important barrows and camps lay concealed, not absent. “The best evidence is still buried deep beneath the turf… much is hidden under the growth of many years.” I believe that if we are to uncover Saddleworth’s past, that the work of Ammon Wrigley will be at the forefront of it.