HOUSEHOLDERS digging in their gardens this spring could hold the key to unlocking an historical mystery.

People living in Arnside and Silverdale are being asked to look out for pieces of Elizabethan or medieval pottery, which may lie in their gardens.

According to the head of the museum service for Lancaster, Dr Andrew White, fragments of pottery have been found in gardens in Silverdale for more than a century, and in Arnside since 1978.

Anyone who finds more pieces could help Dr White and other experts uncover exactly where it was being made, and whether the industry in the two villages was connected.

Dr White has written about pottery making at Silverdale and Arnside in a volume of writings published by the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society.

At Arnside, pottery has been found in the Black Dyke Lane area.

Dr White said the pottery dates back 400 or 500 years, to a time when Arnside was just a series of farmsteads.

"I would anticipate the kilns would be attached to one or other of these farmsteads, and farmers would be part farmers and part potters," said Dr White.

"This is one of those things where anyone who lives in that area can help the archaeologists add something extra to the picture."

Gardeners should look out for pieces of kitchen ware, like jugs, which are damaged or mashed up.

This is because only sub-standard items would have been thrown away.

The pottery fragments will be a very soft grey material, with an olive green glaze.

Some pieces could be a red colour.

If rubbed on a piece of paper, the pottery should leave a mark.

If anyone finds what they suspect is Silverdale or Arnside pottery, they are asked to take it to Lancaster or Kendal museums.

Historian John Marsh said the finds could help him and his colleagues in their efforts to piece together a history of Kendal.

By dating the pottery, which was also used in Kendal, it could help pinpoint dates from excavations in the town.