Second archaeological booklet is launched by HEATH Project

Focussing on the wealth of archaeological remains that are found on the heaths and moors between Zennor, St Just and Land’s End, the second in a series of free booklets produced by Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service (HES), working in partnership with the HEATH Project, was launched last week.

The newly available booklet, ‘The Archaeology of the Moors, Downs & Heaths of West Cornwall’, written by Peter Dudley, offers a general introduction to the historic landscape of West Cornwall’s downs, moors, bogs, marshes and heaths and includes a guide to the wide range of archaeological sites found on these areas of rough ground.

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Nine Maidens stone circle, or how Goonhilly got its name? Or, have you pondered over stories of giants, piskies and fairies? Intended as an accessible introduction to the development of the west Cornish landscape, Dudley’s booklet explains the historic uses of the land, the interpretation of some of its many place-names and gives a brief outline of its vivid folk tales.

The new booklet also delves into past economic uses of the landscape. The moors and downs we see today are often viewed as ‘wild’ and ‘natural’. However, they are the legacy of our ancestors who, for thousands of years, cleared, worked and farmed on these landscapes. Rough ground and its distinctive heathland vegetation originated with the clearance of woodland by prehistoric farmers and during the subsequent 4,000 years were vitally important to the local farming economy, providing rough grazing for cattle and other livestock. Other human uses of landscape have included the sourcing of fuel in the form of turf (peat) and furze (gorse), (fern) bracken for animal bedding, building materials and mineral wealth.

“These areas of moorland and heath hold evidence of human activity stretching back for more than 8,000 years,” says HES Senior Archaeologist Ann Reynolds, “We can find historic features there deriving from the hunter-gatherers who first occupied the area after the last Ice Age, right up to the west Cornwall farmers who grazed their cattle and obtained their fuel on these areas until well into the twentieth century”.

The new publication has been produced to accompany another previously launched booklet, ‘Managing Archaeology & Historic Landscapes on West Cornwall’s Rough Ground’. Both were produced with funding from the HEATH Project and English Heritage following the identification of a number of key areas in west Cornwall where the archaeology is rich and sensitive management is essential to maintain its valuable resources.

Free copies of the booklets are presently being distributed to various locations around the county, including visitor centres, libraries and council offices. You can also download electronic versions from the HEATH Project’s website: www.heathproject.org.uk