Neolithic peoples were confronted by the need to clear woodland to create the fields they needed to grow crops and graze livestock. They developed a heavy duty stone axe to perform this task. These were mounted in a wooden haft. Many of these axes were made using locally available stone. However, good quality stone and flint sources are unevenly distributed across Britain, and a network of exchange and perhaps trade came about to move desirable axeheads from places such as the Langdale Hills in Cumbria to the people who wanted them all over the country.
Leicestershire had at least one source of stone in Charnwood Forest that was used to produce axeheads. Many of these were highly polished, like this example made from Charnwood stone that was found at Goadby Marwood near Melton Mowbray. These polished axes are thought to have had a symbolic significance, as they are often found in places thought by archaeologists to have been of ritual importance.
