Blackheath Barrow display in Todmorden Library Summer 2026

Bronze Age burial urns found during a dig undertaken in July 1898 are currently on display in Todmorden Library.   Blackheath Barrow is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Calderdale and up until recently the finds were kept in Manchester Museum

The Barrow, located on what is now Todmorden golf course high above Todmorden, is in fact a ring cairn rather than a true barrow.  It measures about 30.5 metres across and has a raised edge still visible in places.

The dig uncovered several collared clay urns which contained cremated bones, jet and amber beads and a bone pin.  On the urns you can see where the person who made them used a sharp thumbnail to decorate them whilst the clay was still soft. A smaller cup, known as an accessory cup, held several human teeth, a bronze dagger blade with two rivets and a bronze awl. Human teeth and finger bones are included in the display.

 

In the centre of the circle the archaeologists (all amateurs in 1898) discovered a burial chamber lined and topped with stones known as a cist.  Five more cists were unearthed in the sides of the embankment.  Altogether it is believed that the site contains burials spanning the course of several hundred years in the Early Bronze Age (2000-1500BCE) and were from a settled community with access to international trading networks.

There is also a cabinet displaying stone heads found in various locations around Todmorden. Last year, on one of our many historical walks, SPAG members were shown one in situ on a bridge over the River Calder.