Thornbarrow Hill

According to the Parish Council, minutes of the 14th April 1912 there was a general notice to all landowners about the cost of altering Thornborrow Hill, along side of High Fell End Farm. The Earl of Derby requested that his tenants gave two boon days time (a boon day is a special days work by the mediaeval villein from Saxon times for his Lord usually at hay time or harvest time) which were in addition to his normal weeks work, in which to move the stones which were required to firm up the hill at a cost of £116.15. It was very steep downhill and had a nasty right hand turn for horses and carts to turn, which was almost impossible to negotiate during the winter months.

The farmers gave two boon days to the Earl of Derby and between 12-24 farmers dug out and moved all the stones from the bottom of the hill, and the soil from the top of the hill to the bottom. The result was much better, although in to- days motor traffic, you still have to drive carefully now, so it is difficult to imagine how it was then. A drinking trough for horses had to be put at the bottom because they could not reach the beck bottom for water any more.