A SEARCH for an ancient mill site and evidence of Bronze Age settlers at Gleaston sparked off a long-running series of archaeology digs back in 1993.

The Mail, on November 24, noted that a team led by Allithwaite's Chris Salisbury was to start digging at Mere Tarn, near Gleaston Castle.

The bones of a crooked horse, iron nails, pieces of medieval pottery and what could be a broken milling stone were among the things found on the site between Gleaston Castle and Scales.

Vicki Brereton, of Gleaston Water Mill, said: "They are going to do a full report and we are hoping we can have some of the things back to put on display in the mill."

The team of a dozen students was back the following summer and The Mail, on July 27, noted  that more evidence was being sought for a medieval mill.

Mr Salisbury said: "We are opening up a major archaeological site to try and locate what may have been the original medieval mill.

"We are calling this site Hart Mill."

In recent years Mr Salisbury had unearthed important pre-historic finds at Lindale Low Cave which were thought to be up to 14,000 years old.

Work in 1995 found the shoreline of an ancient lake and flint pieces likely to have been brought in from Norfolk.

The Mail, on April 5 in 1996, noted that ancient cobbles, possibly dating back to the 15th century, were discovered on a dig within Gleaston Water Mill - which had been built in 1774.

Mrs Brereton said: "It looks as though they were put down as a working floor.

"I would have thought they were from a previous mill on the site and could date back to about the 15th century.

By July 1997 the digs at Gleaston had already turned up 2,000 items - including a carved bronze sword, a bronze axe head and a 6,000-year-old flint axe.

The Mail, on July 25 noted: "Exciting discoveries near Gleaston Water Mill over the past five years have revealed that a Bronze Age tribe lived in the valley 4,500 years ago.

A team of diggers from Barrow and Lancaster - plus students from Sheffield and Reading universities - were joined by Oldrich Mana and Andrew Weigel from the Czech Republic for the 1997 dig.

A highlight of the summer exploration  that year was the discovery of a large stone structure, believed to be an ancient burial chamber or a pottery kiln.