Palaeoecological, archaeological and historical data and the making ofDevon landscapes.I.TheBlackdownHills

Abstract

This paper presents the first systematic study of the vegetation history of a range of low hills inSW England,UK,lying between more researched fenlands and uplands. After the palaeoecological sites were located bespoke archaeological, historical and documentary studies of the surrounding landscape were undertaken specifically to inform palynological interpretation at each site. The region has a distinctive archaeology with lateMesolithic tool scatters, some evidence of earlyNeolithic agriculture, manyBronzeAge funerary monuments andRomano‐British iron‐working. Historical studies have suggested that the present landscape pattern is largely earlyMedieval. However, the pollen evidence suggests a significantly differentHolocene vegetation history in comparison with other areas in lowlandEngland, with evidence of incomplete forest clearance in later‐Prehistory (Bronze−IronAge). Woodland persistence on steep, but poorly drained, slopes, was probably due to the unsuitability of these areas for mixed farming. Instead they may have been under woodland management (e.g. coppicing) associated with the iron‐working industry. Data from two of the sites also suggest that laterIronAge andRomano‐British impact may have been geographically restricted. The documentedMedieval land management that maintained the patchwork of small fields, woods and heathlands had its origins in laterPrehistory, but there is also evidence of landscape change in the 6th–9th centuriesAD. We conclude that theBlackdownHills area was one of many ‘distinctive subregions’, which due to a combination of edaphic, topographic and cultural factors could qualify as an eco‐cultural region or ‘pays’. It is argued that the use of such eco‐culturally distinctive regions or pays can provide a spatial and archaeological framework for palaeoecology, which has implications for landscape research, designation and heritage management.