A local resident recently contacted us after noticing some 'hidden' inscriptions on stone slabs on the moors. These stones can be found along the footpath between Egerton and Chapeltown, near the woodland on the southeast side of Cheetham Close. The inscriptions are difficult to make out, as two of the slabs lean against each other, with the lettering on the inward faces.
The stones appear to have been used as gate posts - stone #1 has hinge holes set in lead on one side, and there are various other scattered stones which presumably once formed a short wall. The lettering itself is very crude and may simply be Victorian era graffiti.
The footpath is shown on the 6-inch Ordnance Survey map of 1850 and subsequent maps, but no buildings or walls are shown in the area. On the 1830 plan of Turton, the field number 820 'Cheetham's Close' was part of the land belonging to Torra Barn, at the time owned by Edward Frere Esquire. Torra Barn was occupied by a farmers George Hindle and his wife Peggy in 1841, and John Lee and his wife Mary in 1851.
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| Stone #3 - "AI" |
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| Rough approximation of inscriptions (not to scale) The letter cuts are indistinct, and stone surface is very rough |
