South Coast Of Devon Research Articles

Harold Fox: The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086–1550

Harold Fox: The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086–1550

The Salcombe metal cargoes: New light on the provenance and circulation of tin and copper in Later Bronze Age Europe provided by trace elements and isotopes

Since the mid-1970s a Bronze Age assemblage of metal objects has been recovered from the seabed off the south Devon coast at Salcombe, southwest England. The assemblage spans two suspected shipwreck events and comprises nearly 400 pieces of raw materials and finished artefacts, primarily in copper, tin, bronze and gold. Among these are 280 copper and 40 tin ingots, by far the largest discovery of Bronze Age ingots in either metal from northwestern Europe. Research in recent years revealed the microstructural and chemical nature of the ingots and enabled some preliminary conclusions on the metals trade in Europe in the Later Bronze Age. The present study aims to extend this knowledge by determining the tin, copper and lead isotopic compositions of the ingots using HR-MC-ICP-MS. In addition, bronze artefacts (swords, rapiers, palstaves and weights) from the Salcombe site are included in the multi-proxy approach in order to investigate their history and the possible relationships between finished products and ingots. In combination with the available chemical data of previous studies, the current results of the tin metal show that most likely two tin sources in southwest Britain supplied the ore for their production. This also sheds light on Late Bronze Age tin ingots from Israel that share the same geochemical characteristics with one group of the finds from Salcombe. Although the tin in the bronzes is similar to the tin in the ingots, it is not certain that the latter were used to make the bronzes. Correlations of copper and tin isotopes and trace elements of the bronzes point to a mixing or even recycling of copper-tin alloys rather than the alloying of individual components of copper and tin. However, the copper ingots from the assemblage could have been an additional component in the mixing process given their impurity pattern and isotopic composition. At the same time, a close relationship between swords of the Rosnoën type and palstaves from the cargo is disclosed. Lead isotope ratios for their part suggest Sardinian and/or south Spanish copper ores as a source for both the copper ingots and the copper of the bronzes. This would mean long-distance metal trade in the Later Bronze Age in both cases and would provide new insights into the interpretation of the prehistoric networks in Europe.

The status of Clibanarius erythropus after a recent range expansion to Great Britain, with the highest latitude recording of a gravid individual

BackgroundIn 2016, the range of the hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus expanded to South West Britain for the second time. C. erythropus primarily lives in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast of Europe from the Bay of Biscay to Morocco. The species has now been recorded on both the north and south coast of the South West peninsula of the UK from Newtrain Bay, on the north coast of Cornwall, to Wembury, on the south coast of Devon. It is unknown if the crab’s reappearance in the UK has been caused by a one-off colonisation event or by a continued influx of larvae.ResultsThe population in the UK is made up of individual within a narrow size bracket, indicating a single colonisation event took place, and that the population is an ageing one. However, we also report the highest latitude recording of a gravid individual for the species.ConclusionA lack of gravid individuals was suggested to be why the species was unable to sustain its presence in the UK following a previous colonisation in 1960. This discovery hints that rising water temperatures may allow C. erythropus and other warm-water species to expand and sustain themselves in the UK. We also found crossover in shell utilisation between C. erythropus and the native hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus, suggesting that competition might occur between the two species.

Climate adaptation in fragmented governance settings: the consequences of reform in public administration

ABSTRACTThe impact of dominant trends in public administration, such as decentralisation and privatisation on complex collective challenges is insufficiently understood. This is relevant in settings where climate change impacts become manifest at local level, and where financing power resides at national level but decisions are made more locally in a fragmented institutional setting. This study assists in overcoming this gap by analysing how the institutional context (i.e. a decentralised, privatised, fragmented setting) influences the capacity to address climate change challenges in a vulnerable area (the South Devon coast in the UK). There has been little action to address expected climate change impacts in this vulnerable stretch of coast. A lack of clarity around responsibility for addressing climate impacts and a lack of a deliberative structure between various actors involved, within a context of austerity, hamper climate change adaptation. The findings question whether decentralised decision making is sufficient for addressing climate adaptation challenges.

High resolution mapping, description and interpretation of the foreshore in front of the great undercliff landslides; the Plateau, Dowlands and Bindon within the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve, south Devon coast, England, and how that might inform understanding of the mechanisms of failure

The Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliff National Nature Reserve contains three highly unusual landslides; the Plateau, Dowlands and Bindon. The failure surface of the Plateau landslide is clearly within the Triassic strata rather than on the Jurassic-Cretaceous unconformity, which is the primary failure surface elsewhere along this coast. The nature of the famous Bindon Landslide of 1839, which formed Goat Island and the Chasm, has been the subject of much debate since it was first described by Buckland and Conybeare in 1840. While it is broadly agreed to be a translational failure, the stratigraphic location of the failure surface is still not agreed. This paper examines the Plateau slip in detail and attempts to apply what can be seen there to Dowlands and Bindon. While Pitts undertook a highly detailed mapping exercise of the landslides throughout the undercliff itself, he did not map the foreshore in any detail. Therefore an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or drone was used to generate a high resolution photomontage of the foreshore in front of all three landslides to enable detailed mapping of the features contained within it. The results are available on the web. The mapping does not resolve the question of the location of the failure surface of both Dowlands and Bindon but it provides further detail for interpretation.

Delivering the Exe Estuary Trail cycling and walking route, UK

The Exe Estuary Trail is a 25 km long sustainable cycling and walking route on the south coast of Devon, UK. The largely off-road facility links Exeter city centre to the coastal towns of Exmouth and Dawlish on either side of the Exe Estuary. The route mainly runs parallel to existing railway lines, and allows public access to the unique European environment and wildlife site. This paper describes the design and construction of the route. Designed for both leisure and commuter use, sustainable development was a key driver of this project. Delivery was led by Devon County Council working in close partnership with Parsons Brinckerhoff and key statutory authorities. The social and health benefits of this green infrastructure project are mirrored by the economic gains of new and existing businesses around the River Exe.

Barrera-Fernández, D. (2016). Attracting visitors to ancient neighbourhoods: Creation and management of the historic city of Plymouth, UK. Groningen: InPlanning. 289 pp. Free e-book. ISBN: 978-94-91937-19-4. DOI code: 10.17418/PHD.2015.9789491937194

Barrera-Fernandez, D. (2016). Attracting visitors to ancient neighbourhoods: Creation and management of the historic city of Plymouth, UK. Groningen: InPlanning. 289 pp. Free e-book. ISBN: 978-94-91937-19-4. DOI code: 10.17418/PHD.2015.9789491937194Tourism considers as an essential tool for achieving European Union objectives and promoting European citizen's interests, increasing employment and growth, developing regions, better managing cultural and natural heritage and strengthening European identity (EU Commission, 2000). Since 1988 urban tourism constituted the most stable part of tourism potential and revenue of European countries (Hollier, 1988) and in the recent years the number of countries with decisions to develop urban and cultural tourism to enhance their economy and regenerate their historical areas has increased rapidly. In the European Union, heritage policies depend on each country and some countries such as UK (Bath), Germany (Heidelberg) and Italy (Florence) successfully attracted significant numbers of visitors to their historic sites and managed to become top heritage tourism destinations. In these cities, tourism is the dominant activity and heritage conservation has become a priority.Current book focuses on the historic city of Plymouth which is a medium size, multifunctional city with regional relevance on the south coast of Devon, the most visited region of the United Kingdom (UK) by nationals and one of the most visited by foreign tourists. According to BarreraFernandez in the number of visitors, Plymouth is in the third place among unitary authorities of the Southwest of England and in the first place among heritage and coastal cities of Devon and Cornwall. Despite other UK's port cities Plymouth was built around, and for, the Royal Navy, not maritime trade, and was once the largest naval base in Europe. The city is not a major traditional heritage or cultural destination but made an effort to change and is continuing to change in relation to the development of urban cultural tourism by offering a complementary product in its region.This book is evolved from doctoral thesis of Daniel Barrera-Fernandez and using British model (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 2000) focuses on the role and importance of heritage preservation and urban tourism in Plymouth. The book has eight sections and addresses the following aims:* First, analyse specific framework of heritage preservation and management in the UK with focus on Plymouth to find out how the heritage framework has evolved and identify the current framework in relation to legislation and the role of administrations involved;* Second, study the historic evolution of urban tourism and the current relevance of tourism-related activities;* Finally study how different stakeholders and initiatives affect the tourist use of the historic city, dividing them into four aspects: heritage and culture, tourism, urban planning and economy.After foreword and acknowledgment the book starts with the first section to introduce the rationale of the research, research questions and methodology. Second section focuses on the historic cities of Europe, urban cultural tourism, heritage values and recent trends and shifts. Third section focuses on the city of Plymouth and discusses its geographic position, its relationship with the sea, importance of the military forces in its history, its urban and local government and socioeconomic approach and finally presents the study's area. Section four focuses on the evolution of preservation and management of Plymouth during the Second World War and consequences on built heritage and discusses the current situation regarding conservation areas, statutory listed buildings and other local listing policies.Section five is about the history of the tourism industry in Plymouth where the author introduces four stages of pre-war antecedents where the city was particularly attractive because of its transoceanic connections; the war and the recovery of the activity where the war destroyed much of the tourist activity and the city made an effort to recover; the changes in the market where British holiday makers changed national destinations for international resorts and there was a need to find new tourist markets; the new management strategies where there was an increase in promotion and creating new events and attractions and visitors' profiles. …

Heavy-mineral, mineral-chemical and zircon-age constraints on the provenance of Triassic sandstones from the Devon coast, southern Britain

An integrated heavy-mineral, mineral-chemical and zircon-dating study of the Triassic succession exposed on the south Devon coast, in the western part of the Wessex Basin, indicates derivation from a combination of granitic and metasedimentary lithologies of ages of mostly over 550 Ma. These sources were probably located at a relatively proximal location near the southern margin of the basin. Derivation from more distal sources in the Armorican Massif or local Variscan sources to the west appears unlikely in view of the scarcity of Permo-Carboniferous (Variscan-age) zircons. The Budleigh Salterton Pebble Bed Formation was derived from a different combination of source lithologies than the Otter Sandstone Formation, the former including staurolite-grade metasediments that were absent in the catchment area of the Otter Sandstone. The Devon coast succession has provenance characteristics that differ from equivalent sandstones further east in the Wessex Basin, and from sandstones in the East Irish Sea Basin to the north. These differences indicate that sediment supply patterns to the linked Triassic basin systems in southern Britain are complex, involving multiple distinct sub-catchment areas, and that heavy-mineral studies have considerable potential for unravelling these sub-catchment area sources.

Relative sensitivity of two marine bivalves for detection of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects: a field assessment in the Tamar Estuary, South West England

The input of anthropogenic contaminants to the aquatic environment is a major concern for scientists, regulators and the public. This is especially relevant in areas such as the Tamar valley in SW England, which has a legacy of contamination from industrial activity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Following on from previous laboratory validation studies, this study aimed to assess the relationship between genotoxic and cytotoxic responses and heavy metal concentrations in two bivalve species sampled from locations along the Tamar estuary. Adult cockles, Cerastoderma edule, and blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, were sampled from five locations in the Tamar and one reference location on the south Devon coast. Bivalve haemocytes were processed for comet and neutral red retention (NRR) assays to determine potential genotoxic and cytotoxic effects, respectively. Sediment and soft tissue samples were analysed for metal content by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Sediment concentrations were consistent with the physico-chemical nature of the Tamar estuary. A significant correlation (P = 0.05) was found between total metal concentration in sediment and C. edule soft tissues, but no such correlation was found for M. edulis samples. DNA damage was elevated at the site with highest Cr concentrations for M. edulis and at the site with highest Ni and Pb concentrations for C. edule. Analysis of NRR revealed a slight increase in retention time at one site, in contrast to comet data. We conclude that the comet assay is a reliable indicator of genotoxic damage in the field for both M. edulis and C. edule and discuss reasons for the apparent discrepancy with NRR.

Can Dishonesty Be Salvaged? Theft and the Grounding of the MSC Napoli

The purpose of this article is to consider the lack of certainty surrounding the law on dishonesty in theft in the context of events that occurred on Branscombe beach following the grounding of the MSC Napoli on the South Devon coast in January 2007—that is the ‘looting and plundering’ of the containers that came ashore. It will be contended that the hesitant response of the police to the incident may be explained, in part, by uncertainty in the law on dishonesty. Further, it will be argued that the offence of theft is contrary to the rule of law and that the Napoli incident highlights the need for a statutory definition of dishonesty that replicates the law in New Zealand.

Tourism and grey seals in south Devon: management strategies, voluntary controls and tourists’ perceptions of disturbance

Although grey seals are relatively common in Britain, their numbers elsewhere are believed to be decreasing, and some populations in Europe are listed as endangered by the IUCN. This case study focuses on the impacts of seal tourism on a colony of seals on the South Devon coast in the United Kingdom, the effectiveness of current management policies and tourists’ perceptions of the voluntary controls adhered to by tour operators. To monitor impacts, covert observations of the site were undertaken on 60 designated survey days in the summer of 2006, while a survey of tourists taking part in wildlife cruises to the site was conducted during the same period. The observations found that the voluntary codes had reduced disturbance from operators; however, there were still disturbances, mainly from private vessels. The results of the survey showed that tourists were aware of their potential impacts upon the wildlife, and were generally supportive of the voluntary codes in place. Therefore if an honest explanation and interpretation of the potential impacts of seal tourism are provided, it may encourage a protectionist predisposition in wildlife tourists and render the compliance of voluntary codes a highly satisfactory tourist experience rather than a negative one.

Seasonal reproductive activity in the pterobranch hemichordate Rhabdopleura compacta

Pterobranchs are small marine filter feeders in the phylum Hemichordata. Their phylogenetic position and anatomical structure has resulted in pterobranchs featuring in many scenarios concerning the evolution of chordates. Despite this interest, the basic reproductive biology of pterobranchs is still poorly known. To address this issue, the reproductive season of Rhabdopleura compacta was investigated by collecting specimens in 2004–2007 from a population growing on disarticulated bivalve shells off the south coast of Devon, UK. I analysed reproductive status by categorizing shells according to the condition of the colonies growing on them. The frequency of shells having mature females was almost constant from spring to autumn among shells with active colonies. However, it was apparent that: (a) shells having mature females were more likely to be incubating embryos or larvae in June and July than other months; and (b) the production of embryos was high in June, and then decreased by July. Thus, despite the previous speculation that the species is capable of successful sexual reproduction throughout the year, the present study shows seasonality in reproduction of R. compacta, with at least a peak season during summer.

Small is beautiful: An inverted view of habitat fragmentation in seagrass beds

An intertidal Zostera marina landscape in Torbay, Devon, UK, was sampled to investigate the relationship between patch size, diversity and infaunal assemblage composition with the intention of defining a minimum Zostera patch size where the infaunal seagrass assemblage becomes distinct from the bare sand assemblage. All Zostera patches were found to support a higher level of biodiversity than the surrounding bare sand. However, the size of the Zostera patch had no impact on the level of diversity; it was just the presence or absence of seagrass that made a difference. The sediment and seagrass variables were not significantly different across the range of Zostera patch sizes, indicating that the environment characteristics were homogeneous within the Zostera patches at the patch scale. Multivariate analysis revealed that assemblage composition did vary between the patch types, although the opportunistic polychaete Capitella capitata was present in all patch types and was the most abundant species overall. The presence of opportunistic species and the homogeneity of the Zostera patch variables may be due to the location of this intertidal seagrass bed, which is relatively exposed compared to the locations of other seagrass beds along the south coast of Devon, resulting in a more dynamic and disturbed environment. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that even small patches of seagrass comprising a few plants support a higher abundance and diversity of infaunal invertebrates than bare sand, indicating that Zostera patches have conservation value whatever their size.

Relative sea‐level change and postglacial isostatic adjustment along the coast of south Devon, United Kingdom

AbstractPrevious sea‐level studies suggest that southwest Britain has the fastest subsiding coastline in the United Kingdom, but tide‐gauge data, GPS and gravity measurements and geophysical models show little evidence of anomalous subsidence in this region. In this paper we present 15 new sea‐level index points from four coastal barrier systems in south Devon. Eight are from compaction‐free basal sediments and others were corrected for autocompaction. Our data suggest that relative sea level along the south Devon coastline has risen by 21 ± 4 m during the past 9000 years. Sea‐level rise slowed during the middle and late Holocene and a rise of 8 ± 1 m has occurred since ca. 7000 cal. yr BP. Anomalous ages for many rejected points are attributed to sediment reworking during barrier transgression. The relative sea‐level history during the early and middle Holocene shows a good fit with geophysical model predictions, but the geological and modelled data diverge in the later Holocene. Unlike the geophysical models, sea‐level index points cannot differentiate between late Holocene relative sea‐level histories of south Devon and southwest Cornwall. It is suggested that this discrepancy can be resolved by obtaining additional high‐quality sea‐level index points covering the past 4000 years. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterization of Sea Surface Chemical Contamination after Shipping Accidents

A contamination survey was conducted after the beaching of the stricken cargo ship MSC Napoli in Lyme Bay on the south coast of Devon (UK). A grid of 22 coastal and offshore stations was sampled to investigate the extent of spilled oil and to screen for chemical contamination, as well as to evaluate the behavior of the oil at the air-sea interface. Samples were collected from the sea surface microlayer (SML) and from subsurface waters (SSW) at each station. The fuel oil spilled (IFO 380) was also analyzed. The determination of oil-related hydrocarbons (aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), terpanes, and steranes) and the screening for other harmful chemicals on the inventory of the MSC Napoli in the seawater samples, was performed by PTV-GC/ MS using large volume injection (LVI) techniques. Screening did not reveal the presence of any harmful chemicals other than petroleum-related compounds. Results afforded investigation of oil sources and spatial distributions of total PAH concentrations and enrichments in the sea surface microlayer (SML). Rather than a single source, oil fingerprinting analyses of the samples revealed a mixture of three types of oil: heavy fuel oil, lubricating oil, and a lighter oil (probably diesel oil). Enrichment factors (EF) in the SML (EF = C(SML)/C(SSW)) were calculated and, in the vicinity of the ship, approached 2000, declining with distance away from the wreck. These factors represent approximately a 1000-fold enrichment over typical coastal total PAH enrichments in the SML and reflected a clear petrogenic origin of the contamination (as demonstrated, for example, by a Fl/Pgamma ratio < 1). In addition, the spatial transport and fate (i.e., air-sea exchange processes and water column diffusion) of the oil-related hydrocarbons in the sea surface were investigated. Essentially, near the wreck, the SML was highly enriched in oil forming a visible sheen, both disrupting the normal air-seawater exchange processes and generating a downward diffusion flux of contaminants from the SML to the SSW. This was reflected by a higher occurrence of naphthalene relative to alkyl-naphthalenes in the SSW compared to the SML. The higher concentrations and different sources of oil found in the SML in comparison to those found in the SSW indicate that, if only subsurface water samples are investigated in isolation, the true extent and impact of a spill could be underestimated. It is important to simultaneously evaluate contamination in the sea surface during emergency response.

The land named from the sea? Coastal archaeology and place-names of Bigbury Bay, Devon

The south coast of Devon has seen settled occupation for several thousand years. However, it is suggested that many coastal sites may have been named from a maritime perspective in the first millennium AD. Archaeological information from aerial and geophysical survey and excavation is considered, and new interpretations of a number of place-names are proposed. The archaeological and place-name evidence together suggests that in the later first millennium AD the inhabitants of south Devon knew their coast from both the land and the sea.

BRUNSDEN, D. (ed.) 2003. The Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast. Dorset and East Devon's World Heritage Coast. A Walk through Time. 64 pp. + fold-out map. Wareham: Coastal Publishing. Obtainable by mail order from &gt;http://www.jurassiccoast.com/&lt; or direct from the World Heritage Team at Dorset County Council, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ for £7.00. Price £4.95 (paper back). ISBN 0

So now the East Devon and Dorset Coast ranks alongside the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. This is an area not just of striking topography, but of very great historical interest because of the wealth of geological information which it has generated from the days of Mary Anning’s discoveries right up to today. For these reasons this 155 km of coastline from Exmouth to Studland Bay was proposed to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and culminated in the area being formally designated on 13 December 2001 as the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Coast. Although popularly termed the ‘Jurassic Coast’, major contributions to the geology are made also by Triassic rocks which form the spectacular red sandstone cliffs of the south Devon coast, and Cretaceous rocks, including the Chalk and Upper Greensand, which overlie a …

The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086-1550

The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086-1550

Book Review: The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086–1550

Book Review: The Evolution of the Fishing Village: Landscape and Society along the South Devon Coast, 1086–1550

Protection of Sensitive Coastal Areas in the United Kingdom: From Torrey Canyon to the New Millenium1

ABSTRACT The tanker Torrey Canyon grounded in 1967 beginning the era of the major oil spill. The United Kingdom was unprepared for this event. Nevertheless, following the spill, much research was carried out, including methods for the protection of environmental and socio-economic sensitive areas. However, little was done to produce detailed protection plans for such sites. These can save hours of response time, as boom locations, priorities, layouts, deployment methods, equipment requirements, access and temporary oil storage arrangements will be specified. Yet in the United Kingdom, the Shoreline Response Centre (Command Centre) continued to decide these things after the spill had occurred, which was often too late. In 1990, a spill from the tanker Rosebay occurred in the English Channel, off the sensitive South Devon coast. Protection plans were non-existent. This gave an impetus to develop coastal protection planning, which the SW Region of the National Rivers Authority (NRA) commenced. In 1995, it was recommended that this should be extended throughout the United Kingdom to a common standard. Unfortunately, various factors delayed commencement of this work, which was jointly carried out in 1998 by the Environment Agency (EA), the successor to the NRA, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Pollution Control Unit and the Northern Ireland Environment and Heritage Service. In the meantime, many unsatisfactory plans were produced for the upstream oil industry. The paper reviews this background and describes the new national coastal protection planning guidelines. It also includes completed examples, describes the testing and validation process and describes future plans.