Since the discovery of Neolithic flaking debris around Great Langdale almost 50 years ago, a number of surveys and excavations have taken place in the heart of the Lake District. These have shown that the outcrop of Seathwaite Tuff was the most productive source for stone axes in Britain. People were procuring the raw material from the outcrop in a number of locations, notably the Langdale Pikes, Scafell Pike, and Glaramara (Claris & Quartermaine 1989; Bradley & Edmonds 1993).

The creation and dissemination of the majority of Cumbrian stone axes can be divided into four processes: i) procurement of the raw material from the outcrop; ii) shaping of the stone into axes; iii) movement of the roughouts to the lowlands for polishing; and iv) movement of the axes across Britain until their eventual deposition. While it is valid to examine all aspects of this phenomenon, it is apparent that investigating the processes employed at the source may provide some of the most revealing information.