Offshore and intertidal peat deposits, England — a resource assessment and development of a database

Abstract

In response to an enhanced interest in submerged landscapes and their nature, use and exploitation by early inhabitants, a multidisciplinary inventory of intertidal, nearshore and offshore peat deposits and ‘submerged forests’ around the English coast was compiled. The main driver was to assess the research potential of these types of deposits, in terms of their number, distribution and characteristics in order to identify recording priorities, especially where there is risk of either loss by erosion or of further submergence. The data collected included detailed site descriptions, locations, altitudes relative to modern sea-level, associated archaeological artefacts and any radiocarbon ages, as well as bibliographic references. Information was gathered from published sources, grey literature and the National Monuments Record, although some data (particularly those associated with offshore developments and aggregate extraction) remain confidential. At present the database contains information on over 300 sites, stored electronically. It constitutes a centralised resource to facilitate future coastal and marine research projects. Currently the database is only accessible on a one-to-one basis, but there are plans to make it available to users online. The project successfully involved the amalgamation of information from diverse sources and resulted in bringing together the often-segregated disciplines of Archaeology, Geology and Geography, with the hope of strengthening these relationships in the future.