This page (revision-37) was last changed on 17-Sep-2012 12:00 by Alison Bennett

This page was created on 07-Jun-2012 16:49 by Administrator

Only authorized users are allowed to rename pages.

Only authorized users are allowed to delete pages.

Page revision history

Version Date Modified Size Author Changes ... Change note
37 17-Sep-2012 12:00 647 bytes Alison Bennett to previous
36 31-Aug-2012 15:06 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
35 31-Aug-2012 15:03 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
34 31-Aug-2012 15:01 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
33 31-Aug-2012 14:58 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
32 31-Aug-2012 14:56 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
31 31-Aug-2012 14:51 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
30 31-Aug-2012 14:49 91 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
29 31-Aug-2012 14:47 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
28 31-Aug-2012 14:36 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
27 31-Aug-2012 14:34 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
26 31-Aug-2012 14:31 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
25 31-Aug-2012 14:28 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
24 31-Aug-2012 14:26 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
23 31-Aug-2012 14:22 90 KB Sarah MacLean to previous | to last
22 27-Jun-2012 12:51 90 KB Administrator to previous | to last
21 27-Jun-2012 12:50 90 KB Administrator to previous | to last

Page References

Incoming links Outgoing links
SectionA...nobody
SectionA

Version management

Difference between version and

At line 1 changed one line
!!!An Introduction to Historic Environment Records
[{TableOfContents title='A: An Introduction to Historic Environment Records'}]
At line 3 removed 2 lines
!!A.1 What are SMRs and HERs?
At line 7 removed 54 lines
The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built, formed or influenced by human activities from earliest to most recent times. An Historic Environment Record stores and provides access to systematically organised information about these surroundings in a given area. It is maintained and updated for public benefit in accordance with national and international standards and guidance. An HER makes information accessible to all in order to:
*advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment;
*inform its care and conservation;
*inform public policies and decision-making on land-use planning and management;
*contribute to environmental improvement and economic regeneration;
*contribute to education and social inclusion;
*encourage participation in the exploration, appreciation and enjoyment of the historic environment.
The information held in HER databases and collections thus provides a starting point for management processes, conservation, fieldwork and research into the historic environment and also informs local communities about their area. In turn, many of these activities generate new information which feeds back to HER managers in the form of reports and archives that are used to enhance the HER (Figure. 1).
[{Image src='fig1.gif' alt='Figure 1: The HER 'wheel' drives and is powered by an integrated approach to conservation and understanding of the historic environment.'}] ''Figure 1: The HER 'wheel' drives and is powered by an integrated approach to conservation and understanding of the historic environment.''
!!A.1.1 The information resource
HERs cover archaeological and historical features and finds, the activities of people involved in investigating the historic environment, sources of information about their areas and the conservation management process. However, in the same way that human activity varied from area to area in the past so too does the information contained in HERs today. This is partly a reflection of variations in past human activity and partly due to differences in the way in which individual HERs have developed, which is expanded on later in this section.
!The historic landscape
In general, HER databases contain information about all of the ancient and historic features and sites in both countryside and town that make up the historic landscape. They range in date from the earliest hominid settlement to the Cold War period. Many monuments and features survive in visible form, and both enrich the public’s appreciation of the contemporary landscape and contribute to tourism. Other remains lie buried but can provide valuable enlightenment for this and future generations. Some sites are interpreted from place name or other evidence from maps and historic documents. In addition to this, coastal HERs include a wide range of sites and features reflecting the complex interaction between man and the sea, from remains of vessels to quays and harbours, inshore fisheries and shellfish cultivation as well as submerged landscapes. Individual HERs vary in the extent to which historic buildings, 20th-century structures, parks, gardens, landscapes and finds are represented in their records, but the scope of each should be clearly set out in a recording policy.
!Fieldwork
HER databases contain information about fieldwork carried out in their area, from the earliest antiquarian investigations through to the present-day activities of archaeologists, architectural recorders, surveyors, photographers and others. This information is used to set the known sites and monuments in the area in the context of the pattern of investigation and discovery. It can be used to identify areas for new fieldwork - to fill in apparent 'blanks' in the distribution of monuments - and to inform new understanding or to suggest investigative techniques that may yield good results. On completion of field projects, contractors supply a summary for inclusion in the HER followed by a report on the work. In Scotland, in addition to submission of fieldwork reports to the SMR, summaries are provided to the Council for Scottish Archaeology for inclusion in Discovery and Excavation in Scotland, an annual publication. Fieldwork reports are archived in the NMRS. Similarly in Wales, in addition to their submission to the HER, it is usual for recent fieldwork results to be summarised in the Council for British Archaeology, Wales annual publication Archaeology in Wales. Since it is usually some time before the results are published, HERs are an increasingly important source of information about these projects In England, the development of the Online AccesS to the Index of archaeological investigationS (OASIS) project (See sections B.5.4, C.7.3) is enabling contractors and curators to complete online recording forms and should facilitate supply of information from field projects to HERs. OASIS has been introduced for use in England and many HERs and contracting units are registered and using the system. The OASIS pilot is being extended to Scotland in 2006-7. The role of OASIS in Wales is as yet undecided.
!Casework
A growing number of archaeological curators are maintaining databases of their recommendations, the decisions made by planning authorities and grant applications. In some cases, these databases are being linked to the main HER database itself. This information is used to track the progress of planning and other consultations within the wider Archaeology or Historic Buildings Service. Some HERs are beginning to record the processes involved in managing field monuments in their databases in order to plan and monitor the impact of changes in management regimes and repair work.
!!A.1.2 HER collections
The information compiled in HER databases has been gathered from the wide range of sources that is summarised below. HER databases can provide catalogues of sources of information on the historic environment in their areas and refer enquirers to both their own reference collections and to material held in local museums, record offices and other repositories. Individual HERs will record the collections used to compile their records in a recording policy and create source/archive records to catalogue these collections within their database.
!Maps
Paper, film and digital copies of Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, supplied under licence, are kept in conjunction with the HER database. They are used to record the locations of monuments and finds, or to show archaeological constraint areas to highlight the potential implications of proposed development. Where paper maps are used, the map scales are normally 1:10,000 for rural areas and 1:2,500 or 1:1,250 for urban areas. Associated material includes map overlays, for example cropmark plots, and copies of historic maps, such as early editions of the OS or tithe maps. These may be held either as paper copy or digital mapping. The use of digital mapping and recording through GIS is increasing, and GIS standards are one aspect which is addressed more fully in this revision of the manual (See Section E).
!Published materials
Library collections based on local and national series of archaeological and historical society journals, specialist publications, gazetteers, catalogues and other reference works will normally be held within the HER office.
!Unpublished materials
These include fieldwork and other reports, dissertations, statutory protection documentation (for example scheduling notifications), notes and sometimes correspondence. Reports arise from archaeological work undertaken as part of development control or from planned research objectives, such as field survey or excavation of a particular class of monument. These reports may be held either as paper copy or digitally (or both).
!Photographic materials
Colour or black and white photographs and slides, digital photographs and videos may be kept by the HER. These derive from fieldwork, such as excavation, survey or planned site visits; or from the recording of finds in archaeological units, museums or specialist laboratories. This material will originate from both the host organisation and also from other organisations and private individuals who will retain title to its copyright. HERs are also recommended to maintain a collection of colour slides of illustrative materials for lecture and presentation purposes.
!Aerial photography and air-photographic transcriptions
Colour or black and white, vertical and oblique aerial-photographic prints, negatives and slides are all kept by HERs. Sources of photography include the National Monuments Records for England (NMRE), Scotland (NMRS), and Wales (NMRW), the Cambridge University Committee on Aerial Photography (now Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs (CUCAP), the Ordnance Survey (OS), the Royal Air Force (RAF) and regionally based individuals, including some HERs, taking aerial photographs of archaeological sites. Associated materials include flight traces and indexes. Air-photographic transcriptions may also be held on film, paper and digital map form. HERs hold copies of prints whose copyright (and often the original negative or slide) is retained by the photographer or commissioning organisation.
!Digital archives
These include floppy disks, CDs and DVDs, and other media holding digital data in formats which may include: databases, text files, image files, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) files, geophysical survey files. HERs may acquire this material from contractors following fieldwork and also create digital archive, through programmes of database and GIS compilation, data capture and scanning of slides, photographs or paper documents.
!!A.1.3 Informing services
----
The Digital Archive bit in A.1.2 is not accurate (in the pedantic OAIS way) and should be updated to reflect this
--Administrator, 07-Jun-2012 16:54
This page (revision-37) was last changed on 17-Sep-2012 12:00 by Alison BennettTop