Neolithic Axe Manufacture
Stone axes were an important tool for woodland clearance and were the mainstay of the woodworker’s tool kit.
Organised manufacture of stone axes occurred in the highland regions of the British Isles where suitable outcrops of rock were available. These axes are often found great distances from their source. Particular regions seem to have favoured certain types. The evidence also suggests that axes passed from group to group, perhaps as a formal exchange of gifts rather than as objects of trade.
The first farmers in the Isle of Man used axes made from the types of stone found in North East Ireland, North Wales, Cumbria and Cornwall. Axes appear also to have had a symbolic purpose and a jadeite example, thought to originate from Switzerland but found at Glencrutchery House, must have been a valued object.
In the later Neolithic, Ronaldsway farmers developed their own local stone source near Mount Murray. Their axes are characterised by a deliberately roughened butt and appear to be a peculiarly Manx type as few examples are known elsewhere.
A suitable piece of stone was selected and the desired shape produced by techniques known as flaking, grinding and pecking, much like knapping flint.
Axeheads were usually mounted in wooden hafts bound with fibre or hide strips.
Flaking using a hammer of stone, wood or antler, small pieces were chipped away from the stone until the desired shape was made.
Pecking removes smaller amounts of stone by striking the stone with a stone hammer. The Ronaldsway farmers used this technique to roughen the butt ends of their axes presumably to aid secure mounting or hafting.
Grinding on a grained surface such as sandstone produces a smooth finish and a strong cutting edge.
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