About 40 years ago I found a steel ball in a ploughed field just below Lindley Bank Wood in Hackenthorpe. I always thought it was the top off a gate post, but I recently had it authenticated by the Royal Armouries in Leeds as a 6 pound cannon ball.

It puzzled me, why would I find a cannon ball in Hackenthorpe?

At last I have the answer. I went down to the old Birley Spa on Saturday and saw one in an exhibition.

I found this information on a display board.

"Prior to the sinking of the Birley East colliery, the Sheffield Artillery Volunteers (No4 Battery, Woodhouse) fired cannons from where the Shirebrook School now stands, across the Shirebrook valley towards Lindley Bank Wood (now where the roundabout is situated). Extracts from the Birley Vale Magazine of the 1870's state that Sgt Morton & Sgt Taylor & the gunners won competitions, cups & Medals for their excellent markmanship with the 40 pound Armstrong Gun"

Thats interesting, because a good number of years ago a friend of mine had found a cannon ball in Bowden Hounsteads Wood, Near Handsworth. He could not think of an explaination as to why it was there. I wonder if they ventured further up towards Handsworth, which would have been fields and woods at that time, i'll mention what you found out to him.
Cheers.

cannon and ball in hackenthorpe dam mised them lol