BOWLAND will be taken back to the Stone Age by Dr Rick Peterson with this year's 12th Lord of Bowland Lecture.

Since 2011, archaeologists from the University of Central Lancashire have been excavating around New Laund Hill at Whitewell in the heart of the Forest of Bowland.

With the final season of excavation completed in 2021, this work is starting to help see how this landscape was used from the Late Mesolithic (around 7000 years ago) until the Middle Iron Age (around 2500 years ago).

Dr Peterson said: "Over this time we have discovered a previously unknown landscape of prehistoric occupation including Mesolithic campsites, Neolithic enclosures, Bronze Age burial and Iron Age settlements.

"In this lecture we will look at evidence from the whole New Laund area and bring people up to date with the latest results from the excavations and the post excavation analysis."

Dr Peterson is Reader in Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire. He teaches across a range of modules, with a focus on prehistory and archaeological fieldwork.

William, 16th Lord of Bowland, will introduce the evening, which aims to raise funds for two local charities: Slaidburn Archive, which works to record the history of the Hodder Valley; and Champion Bowland, which supports projects benefiting the environment, local communities and visitors to the Forest of Bowland. Both organisations rely heavily on grants and donations to continue their work.

Slaidburn Archive is a charity that holds an extensive collection of historical resources for genealogical, village, farmstead and agricultural research in the Hodder Valley. Its area of interest extends from Tosside, along the Hodder from Slaidburn to the Whitewell area and encompasses nearby villages such as Grindleton, Bolton-by-Bowland, and Bashall Eaves. Of particular interest is the area of Dalehead and the hamlet of Stocks-in-Bowland, much of which is now beneath Stocks Reservoir or the plantations of Gisburn Forest.

Champion Bowland raises funds from visitor donations, charitable activities and other sources. It is proud to introduce individuals and groups to the unique landscape and culture of the Forest of Bowland through school visits or funding Trampers (off-road mobility scooters).

The Forest of Bowland AONB is one of 46 AONBs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and was designated as an AONB in 1964.

The annual lecture takes place on Tuesday, October 3, in Browsholme Hall's Tithe Barn, courtesy of Robert Parker, bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland. Places are booking quickly but remaining seats, or places on the reserve list, can be booked by emailing sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk, or by calling 07973 923142.