St James’ Church, Stocks in Bowland, Lancashire: Interim Historical Report

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) were invited to provide archaeological supervision for a community survey and excavation of St James Church, Stocks in Bowland (NGR: SD 733 565), which has been financed by United Utilities and co-ordinated by the Forest of Bowland AONB. The supervision was required to facilitate a survey of the environs of St James’ Church and a programme of excavation of the foundations of the church. The project was intended to provide a programme of outreach for local people associated with a study of the lost community of Stocks in Bowland which was partly drowned by the construction of Stocks Reservoir. The work has been undertaken in accordance with a project design prepared by OA North (Appendix 1). The excavation and survey provided training in archaeological recording techniques for members of the local community, and also provided new information on the wealth of archaeological remains in the Stocks in Bowland region, as well as the Church site. The present report is an interim statement on the results of documentary research that has been collated by Helen Wallbank and is intended to provide a context for the results of the archaeological excavation of St James’ Church.