The earliest evidence for lime kilns in the UK date to the Roman Period.  Although, there is no evidence that they were using lime on the land, they used it in the construction of their buildings as mortar, plaster and as a component of their concrete. The kilns at this time were clamp like kilns which were sealed by a covering of clay or turf.

From the early medieval period up until the industrial revolution most lime production was on a small scale, with kilns situated next to the building or fields where the lime was to be used. The early kilns were clamp kilns sometimes known as ‘sow’ kilns. These were cheap and easy to build, with the natural lay of the land providing a bank against which a hollow was created. This was then lined with either clay, or clay and stone and a bank built around the remaining sides. Later examples had stone build stoke holes. The limestone was then mixed with fuel, usually wood or coal, and capped.  The resulting lime was of variable qualities with the lesser quality known as ‘lumber lime’ which was used on the land. There were regional variations of these clamp kilns with horseshoe kilns being common in the Midlands and Scotland.  These had low stone walls on three side and the front wall was built before firing and removed to gain access to the calcinated lime. These kilns were common until the development of canals which made transporting limestone and lime more feasible and cost effective.

The agricultural revolution brought new crop rotation methods which included growing turnips and clover instead of a fallow season, selective breeding of livestock and the enclosure of common land. The aim was to improve land to increase food production. Lime was vital in this process for helping to bring waste land into production, improve the quality of existing arable land and maintain the quality of those fields under pasture. Along with the introduction of new farming methods came the introduction of substantially built ‘field lime kilns.’ Many of these were built by the farmer himself for his own use, whilst others were built by estates and were much larger and used by the estate and their tenants. At the same time similar kilns were built along the coast which were supplied with limestone and coal by boat.

References:

Johnson, D. (2018). Lime Kilns History and Heritage. Stroud: Amberley Publishing.

R.Williams. (1989). Limekilns and Limeburning. Oxford: Shire.

Tinder, B. (2016). The Industrial Archaoeology of Shropshire. 2nd Ed. Logaston Press.