Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Metal Detecting Find

Hi All

Wondering if you can help. Below is something I found whilst metal detecting on the fields opposite Lennox Lane.

I know from previous research that this field hasn't really changed at all since ordinance surveys began and looking at even older maps its just a field. The only difference is the observatory school has now been built on the field.

I found this earlier whilst metal detecting, looking at the picture its hard to make out the words so this is what it says:

P.J PARMITER PATENT
STEEL HARROW
TISBURY WILTS
ENGLAND
10793 (NOT 100% ON THE NUMBERS)

I have looked online and its an agricultural manufacturer. So I am just wondering what this could be? What its used for, how old it is and also why would a farmer in the Wirral be getting agricultural equipment so far away? I am not sure when the farming of this land stopped but it does look turn of the century to me.

Thanks in advance.

Here is a picture of a steel Harrow. Used for preparing the ground for planting etc. Your plate must of rusted away from the framework and dropped into the field.

It was a chain harrow, patented around 1888, similar to pic.

Thanks everyone. It seems a long way to deliver one of these bearing in mind the time frame (1888).

The maps show it as farm land so this tool was used to prepare the ground.

Its been mangled so I guess thats modern.

Would the plate of been on the front of the tool?

Thanks

The patent was around 1888, that doesn't mean the device was manufactured then, it could have been many years after. I would think the name plate would have been fitted to the front pulling bar, not really anywhere else for it to go.

The number at the bottom probably is the number since patent so it's around the 10000th one made
So it will depend on how fast they made them per year.

So it could be anywhere after turn of the century.

Can't see any farming being done on this field after the 40's but I wouldn't know.

Looking at the maps residential property and the creation of Lennox lane was 30's-40's

I think that the reason it came from so far away is the fact that there were,(and still are), only a limited number of farm machinery manufacturers. There would probably have been a local agent who dealt with several manufacturers; the same thing applies today. When you want a JCB, you don't go to JCB at Rocester, you go to the local dealer.
BTW, where is Lennox Lane?

Chris, cut and paste these co-ordinates into Google Maps for the location. Cheers
53.405816, -3.075807

Thank you Mr.Legs: I couldn't find it on my 1912 OS map.

Bert Lennox lane doesn't exist up to about 1930. Then a few houses where built. But the composition of the field and woodland hasn't changed on all maps iv seen minus some woodland area which was removed on now Lennox lane at the top.

So the field area looks like it was always farmland.