This is version 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 . It is not the current version, and thus it cannot be edited.

Back to current versionRestore this version

Maintaining and developing an HER is a continuous process that involves various types of work. At any one time, new information may be received from recent fieldwork about changes or additions to the lists of protected sites, or through project work. Numerous different organisations and individuals are involved in the process of collecting and supplying information, and with the increasing use of GIS and on-line access, new ways of making a wide range of data accessible to HERs are beginning to emerge.

This section of the manual gives general guidelines for maintaining and developing the information resources of an HER and suggests some new approaches to recording information from development-led fieldwork and some ideas for enhancement projects. For the purpose of this manual this topic has been broken down into three areas:

• Compilation from standard digital and documentary sources of information
• Fieldwork and digital data collection
• Enhancement projects such as national projects and programmes, local partnerships, universities and special interest groups

Case studies of some recent HER enhancement projects are also included.

D.5 HERs and enhancement projects#

For HERs the maintenance of the basic information base from standard sources and fieldwork is a continuous process. As well as this day-to-day work, HER managers are recommended to plan enhancement projects to fill gaps and enhance the quality of their records. Such gaps in content or issues concerning quality are often identified by HER Audits (see B.2.4). In some cases the need for enhancement to comply with national standards will be considered to be so important that it is made a priority and funded from core budgets. An example of such a project can be found in Section D.6.1. In other cases different strategies for record enhancement can be adopted, some involving participation in national projects and programmes, some working with other departments within local authorities, others working with local societies and specialist-interest groups.

Grants for SMR enhancement from Historic Scotland currently prioritise fulfilment of PASTMAP objectives. Historic Scotland may also provide initial start-up funds for the provision of an archaeological service at a Local Authority that was previously without one.

This section aims to present examples of some types of projects and programmes that are currently collecting information about aspects of the historic environment. Some case studies of projects run by HERs are also included.

D.5.1 National projects and programmes#

At any one time, English Heritage, Cadw and Historic Scotland may be involved in a number of projects and programmes which are developed in response to research and knowledge of the resource. Many of these involve partnerships with local authorities and others and some carry funding and offer opportunities to enhance HERs (either through work carried out in-house by HERs or from data available from the English NMR/NMRS).

Research frameworks#

A research framework may identify weaknesses in knowledge of the resource for a particular period or theme and suggest strategies for addressing the gap. They include national and regional frameworks. Regional research frameworks aim to provide an assessment of land use, settlement, environment, economy and society in a regional context and to provide a framework for curation, decision-making and research. HER enhancement might be planned in the light of a regional research framework or national thematic framework

Useful websites
English Heritage: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.8652

Regional Research frameworks – England:
East of England: http://www.eaareports.demon.co.uk/research_framework.htm
East Midlands http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/eastmidsfw/index.html
North East http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/Archaeology+2001+-+Archaeology+Regional+Research+Framework
West Midlands http://www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/research/fieldwork_research_themes/projects/wmrrfa/index.htm

National Research frameworks – Wales:
http://www.cpat.org.uk/research/index.htm

There are no current initiatives in Scotland.

National Mapping Programme (NMP) England#

This is a long-term programme to map the archaeological resource known from aerial photography and to provide a more reliable framework for classifying and dating sites.

Monuments Protection Programme (MPP) England#

This was a site-evaluation programme which added to the schedule of nationally important sites and to revised, confirmed or (in some cases) de-scheduled existing sites.

Burgh surveys Scotland#

Historic Scotland commissions the Burgh surveys series. The main objective of the Burgh surveys is to identify those areas, which are of archaeological and historic interest and require sensitive treatment in the event of proposed development. However the series is also of more general interest in that it examines the geography and topography of each town, its historic buildings and the origins of its street names.

Intensive and extensive urban strategies#

This programme of intensive and extensive archaeological surveys aims to provide up-to-date assessments of the surviving resource in urban areas and to improve databases. The intensive urban surveys, covering major historic towns and cities, are leading directly to the creation of Urban Archaeological Databases (UADs). The information derived from extensive surveys, covering the smaller historic towns of England (with similar surveys to also cover major conurbations) is held within the local HER A growing number of the town assessment reports from the extensive surveys are appearing on the ADS web site (see list at http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/).

Historic landscape characterisation (HLC) England#

This programme aims to inform landscape conservation strategies in the context of planning and agricultural policies (see also E.5). One aim is to help landowners to commission historic landscape surveys to inform 'whole farm management plans' under the Countryside Stewardship (now Environmental Stewardship) and Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) programmes of Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). HLC can also provide useful input to DEFRA's Environmental Stewardship Entry Level and Higher Level Schemes.

Historic Landscape Characterisation Wales#

Historic landscape characterisation in Wales has taken a different form to that in England, but its aims are similar in informing landscape planning agri-environment schemes such as Tir Gofal. Information about the mechanics of the HLC and its implementation can be seen on the Cadw web site at http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/

Historic Land Use Assessment (HLAMAP) Scotland#

The Historic Land-use Assessment by the RCAHMS is an analysis of past and present land-use. HLAMAP is a web-based presentation of this data that allows the user to view the data by Historic Land-use Type, Period or Category as well as by Relict Period, and to print out a report of any selected area. To date almost 45 per cent of Scotland has been analysed. As with HLC in England and Wales, HLAMAP can help to inform land management initiatives such as Rural Stewardship(Scotland). http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/search.html(See also E.5.11)

The Scottish Wetland Archaeology Database#

The Scottish Wetlands Archaeological Database (SWAD) is an Historic Scotland (HS) commissioned project designed primarily to produce a fuller understanding of the potential of Scottish wetland archaeology. As it now stands there are over 6,000 records in the database. http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/swad/

The Scottish Palaeoenvironmental Archive#

A national archive (funded by Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage), to serve four main purposes:

• To identify and protect from destruction sites of key scientific interest and value.
• Inform decision makers such as the government, conservation bodies, scientists.
• Enhance public awareness of palaeoenvironmental sites in Scotland.
• Help to direct research in Scotland.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/~spsi/gistrans/spainfo.htm

D.5.2 Local authority partnerships#

Most HERs have the opportunity to enhance their information resources through partnerships with other departments within their local authorities. There are three principal forms of partnership which are of potential benefit. These are: collaborative working with staff within corporate Information Technology sections; corporate GIS systems and interdepartmental collaborative projects to develop multimedia resources for public benefit. Another development in many authorities is the integration of archaeology, historic buildings and natural environment records.

Partnerships with corporate IT sections#

Many local authorities or national bodies have specialist IT sections. Collaboration with the specialists in these sections can help to ensure appropriate use of IT resources and input to developing specific IT aspects of HERs. An example of a collaboration between an HER and an IT section can be seen in Section D.6.2.

Corporate GIS#

Many departments within local government maintain GIS layers. These normally include archaeology, Rights of Way, ecology and strategic planning and may also include minerals extraction and flood risk areas. Often this means that different spatial layers are available across a corporate network, some intended for general use by the various departments (for example OS map layers), some maintained for a specific purpose.

Multimedia#

Many HERs have good links with other information providers based in local libraries, museums, record offices and archives. All these contain information in their catalogues and accession registers that provide useful sources for enhancing HER databases. Perhaps more exciting to potential users are the photographs, historic maps and documentary archives that they hold.

In some areas, collaborative projects are creating multi-disciplinary cultural-heritage resources drawing on materials from different locations. This may involve digitisation projects to scan and capture historic maps and documents, images of sites and museums objects and associated database development about the sites, catalogues and bibliographic material. For an example of such a project see Section D.6.2. or 6.3.

Integration#

In some authorities, HERS, Historic Buildings Records and, sometimes, natural environment records are being brought together. This means that a range of new information is accessible about:

• Listed buildings and conservation officers' reports
• Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS) for geological and geomorphological sites
• SSSIs (for example ancient woodland and grassland, water meadows, peat-filled kettle holes, etc) also often have an historic landscape implication
• Information available from English Nature or Scottish Natural Heritage
• Sites managed by local wildlife trusts.

D.5.3 Local groups and societies#

Many local societies have programmes of research, some of which lead to the publication of site gazetteers and the deposit of materials with local HERS. Local societies may also be provided with copies of HER maps and print-outs which they update based on their knowledge. As with the national thematic recording programmes, an important consideration for HERs is the form in which information will be deposited.

Where possible, HER officers should aim to work with local societies to agree a standard recording form that incorporates the HER's core standards and reflects national data standards (in Scotland ASPIRE compliant). Ideally, guidance should be offered to society members on how to complete the recording forms, possibly through training days. HER officers should allow time to check the quality of information while it is being collected. In England and Scotland Local Societies have received grants to undertake archaeological projects from the Local Heritage Initiative fund, but this scheme has now come to an end. These grants have enabled local groups and HER staff to work together on enhancement projects. For an example of this see Section D.6.2.

Useful Websites
Local Heritage Initiative England http://www.lhi.org.uk/
Local Heritage Initiative Scotland http://www.snh.org.uk/wwo/communities/comm-grants.asp

D.5.4 Universities#

University research excavations and fieldwork continue to be an important source of information about the historic environment. HER managers are recommended to establish good contacts with any universities that are active in their areas and, as with other fieldwork programmes, to discuss arrangements for the deposit of information and archive. HER managers may also wish to work with their university contacts to identify possible research topics for students interested in working in the local. area. Liaison with the ADS may be useful as a source of information about university-based archaeology. An example of HER enhancement resulting from partnership between a university and an HER can be seen in Section D.6.5.

D.5.5 National Thematic Recording Projects#

A number of thematic records have been or are being created at a national level by special interest groups. Some of these involve major programmes of fieldwork and trawls of documentary sources in response to a perceived threat to an element of a resource that is under-represented in HERs. Others have arisen in response to the interests and enthusiasms of specialist societies. Many have the potential to attract funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund because of their potential for involving members of the public as volunteer fieldworkers and researchers.

Many of these recording projects start with the collection of information from HERs and the NMR but go on to include original fieldwork and research. Most are willing to share the information that they compile with HERs, sometimes by providing digital data, record cards or reports or alternatively by publishing their results in print or on the internet. By complying with data standards (including recording metadata), these recording projects are enabling interoperability between different database systems mounted on the internet (see B.9 and D.4).

An important consideration for HERs is how far they will be able to specify the format in which any information is to be deposited with them. Ideally, thematic projects would collect data in accordance with the data standards laid out in MIDAS and use the reference-data lists that make up INSCRIPTION (ASPIRE in Scotland). This general principle has already been achieved for a number of projects (undertaken with collaboration from the NMR, CBA, the MDA and ADS) which plan to offer digital data to (or have already made their data available to) to HERS, for example:

• the Defence of Britain Project: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/projects/dob
• Portable Antiquities Scheme: http://www.finds.org.uk

The Countryside Agency's Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) is another example of a scheme that has the potential to result in new sources of information to enhance the HER. As the scope of LHI projects covers both the natural and the man-made environment, HER managers may need to consider their collecting policies before deciding which information to incorporate into their records. However, the LHI will come to and end on 31st March 2007, when it will be subsumed into the broader Heritage Lottery Fund programmes. Applications for projects were still being accepted until the end of June 2006.

See http://www.lhi.org.uk(England)
http://www.snh.org.uk/wwo/communities/comm-grants.asp(Scotland)

Special-interest groups#

A well-known feature of British life is the number of societies and special interest groups that exist around the country. Many of these have now begun to compile databases and to create records about sites of special interest to them. Although many of them have been working outside the main focus of interest of most HERs, some of their activities are increasingly becoming recognised as important. Examples include:

• the Survey of the Jewish Built Heritage http://www.jewish-heritage-uk.org
• the Airfield Research Group http://www.airfield-research-group.co.uk
• the Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics http://www.asprom.org
• the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture http://www.crsbi.ac.uk
• the National Inventory of War Memorials http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00g00c
• the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association http://www.pmsa.org.uk
• the Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society http://www.tilesoc.org.uk

Details of these and other projects can be found on the HEIRNET register. http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/heirnet/index.cfm

An email discussion list exists to promote discussion and colaboration between these groups. HER managers can also use this list to promote cooperation between HERs and recording projects. http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/helps

D.5.6 Finding out more#

HERs may benefit from using the research tools described below as a starting point to find out more about the information that is available and to help to devise enhancement projects:

• the English NMR maintains a list of contacts working with national thematic projects and in special interest groups
• the BIAB provides a useful search tool
• the ADS Catalogue provides an information gateway to archives and data and is developing pointers to special-interest datasets
• the CBA website is a useful starting point for information (see also Council for Scottish Archaeology)
• the Public Record Office can provide information about the archival network.

Useful websites:
Archaeology Data Service (ADS) http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/
Council for British Archaeology http://britarch.ac.uk
Council for Scottish Archaeology http://www.scottisharchaeology.org.uk/
HEIRNET register http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/heirnet/index.cfm
HEIRPORT http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/heirport/
Society of Antiquaries Library catalogue http://sal.ads.ahds.ac.uk/
Heritage Lottery Fund http://www.hlf.org.uk
National Monuments Record (England) http://www.english-heritage.org.uk
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland http://www.rcahms.gov.uk
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales http://www.rcahmw.org.uk/

D.6 Case studies of HER enhancement projects#

D.6.1 Creating an event record and GIS layer#

Stuart Jeffrey, West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS)

The recommended Event Monument Source (EMS) model for SMR management has meant that those SMR databases that have been historically developed with these three elements undifferentiated have required extensive restructuring. At WoSAS this process was seen as an opportunity to develop a more sophisticated GIS polygon layer representing archaeological events that could inform development control directly as well as offering a further resource to be supplied as baseline data to contracting units. The project to remove and restructure existing event records from the SMR and to enter unrecorded events from the existing paper archive as well as defining them in the GIS was carried out over a period two years. However, this does not represent full time work by a single individual, as the work was conducted as intermittent work by a number of WoSAS staff and volunteers.

The resulting Events recording system has a database record and GIS point for every known event in the record from the nineteenth century to the present and range from forestry surveys to geophysical surveys to area excavation. Each Event is directly related to the relevant Sources and Monuments. “Live Events”, that is those that have been started but not yet completed are also represented in the Events database as well as WoSAS's development control management (Consultation) system. The definition of archaeological events in a polygon layer in the GIS was complicated by various ambiguities and variations in precision in the available spatial descriptions, which ranged from poor textual references to highly accurate digital data derived from GPS survey. A series of metadata fields were incorporated into the Event polygon layer in order to inform users of the accuracy of the source data. This allows Events defined accurately to, for example trench level, to share a layer with Events such as poorly defined unsystematic reconnaissance surveys. These fields are Feature, Source, Confidence and Results, their contents are constrained by a list of specific values. An example of polygon attributes in the GIS might be:

Event ID	1076
Compiler	MO'H The initials of the staff member who created the polygon.
Map_scale 2500	The scale of the base map used in digitising if appropriate.
Dig_scale 1500	The scale at which the map was displayed for digitising.
Entry date	13/05/2004 The date the polygon was created.
Name	Archaeological Field Evaluation and Watching Brief at Tollpark, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire*
Director	Duffy, P*
Organisation	GUARD*
Year	1998*
Context_comment	Work carried out during construction of a car park to the north of a factory (and trenching at camp), to check if there are any archaeological remains. Condition attached to the planning consent.
Results_comment	No archaeological remains were found.
Sub_Event	Trench 1 The designation of this polygon where the event is represented by more than one polygon
Source Code	(1) Digital data from contractor (EDM survey)
Feature Code	(5) Trench extent – Trial Trench
Confidence Code	(6) Accurate to within 1m
Results Code	(8) Entirely negative

All elements are derived from the GIS Layer attribute table except those marked with an asterisk, which are derived from the SMR database Event Record via an ODBC link. Although the vast majority of polygons represent site/survey extents, where good data is available down to trench level, as in the above example, it can be incorporated into the GIS layer. This most often happens when survey data is supplied digitally by the contracting unit or when it can be digitised satisfactorily from a paper report.

Currently the WoSAS Event record comprises c.1500 archaeological events, represented in the GIS by c.1500 points (one centred on each event) and c.1000 polygons. The next phase in enhancing the Events record is to develop XML download scripts working directly with OASIS as it is implemented in Scotland. This should allow the population of the SMR record directly from the contractor's on-line record (after validation) as well as the up-loading of contractor supplied geo-referenced survey data. Work is also under way in partnership with the RCAHMS to specify geospatial data standards in Scotland, including an examination of the applicability of existing standards. It is also hoped to generate and incorporate new event polygons derived from information contained in past journals under the auspices of a museum led project to develop a Local History and Archaeology Strategy for the Clyde Valley.

This enhancement to the system has proved enormously valuable, both as an improvement to WoSAS's own suite of business tools and as a more usable source of events information for contractors working in the WoSAS area. This is often crucial in making archaeological decisions on the ground and overcomes the occasional lack of communication between commercial archaeological contractors regarding their most recent work (commercial sensitivities are always respected). An additional benefit of having carried out this process is that it has encouraged archaeological contractors to deposit digital geospatial data directly with WoSAS in the knowledge that it will be rapidly incorporated into the SMR datasets.

D.6.2 Providing historic mapping for the HER : the Worcestershire Tithe Map Project#

Neil Lockett, Worcestershire Historic Environment Record

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries much of the English landscape was undergoing significant change. The surveys of the Tithe Commissioners have helped to document this process through the detailed maps of land-holdings and their associated lists which provide details of each land parcel: its owners, tenants, and how it was used. These maps offer a fascinating insight into the agricultural landscape of the day, and clues, through place-names, to earlier settlement patterns.

The Worcestershire Tithe Map Project has been investigating original tithe maps, held by the County Record Office, for the past twelve years. This investigation, undertaken by volunteers, has produced tracings of the original maps to a uniform scale of 1:10,000 so that they can be overlain onto modern Ordnance Survey paper maps. Place-name evidence, derived from the accompanying documentation has also been added.

This early stage of the project emphasised the value of tithe maps in any study of historic landscape and demonstrated a demand for easy access to this information from individuals, local groups and heritage professionals. In response to this, in 2002 it was decided to digitise the data held within the maps and associated apportionment books.

Since 2002, the project has used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to trace the maps as digital cartographic documents, which can be used in a more sophisticated manner than the paper tracings. Each parish tithe map is traced as a single, multi-layered document, so that field-parcels, buildings, roads, and other features can be easily isolated and displayed at will (Figure 30). The resultant digital coverage can be used alongside other tithe maps, estate maps, or modern and historic Ordnance Survey maps. Other digital information, such as Public Rights of Way or Historic Environment information can be displayed and analysed in conjunction with the tithe maps.

As well as tracing the maps, details of the contemporary Schedule of Apportionment listing: ownership, tenancy, rentable value, land-use and placename has been compiled onto a database. The combination of the digital maps and this database enables the data to be displayed in a variety of ways allowing researchers to readily visualise early nineteenth century land-use, ownership and tenancy patterns. In addition, individual parish maps can be combined to view larger historic settlement patterns and, when the project is completed it will be possible to search for, amongst other data fields, placenames or personal names across the whole county.

The project has been funded by Worcestershire County Council, and by Local Archaeological and Historical Societies who received grants from the Local Heritage Initiative scheme. The current coverage for transcribed tithe maps stands at 138 parishes, held as 1:10,000 copies suitable for overlay onto paper Ordnance Survey maps. Of these transcriptions, 42 have been converted to digital coverages. In addition fourteen late eighteenth century Enclosure maps are available, together with five maps documenting two estates in Worcestershire. The project intends to complete all available tithe maps for Worcestershire as digital coverages, and hopes to extend the enclosure and estate map coverages in the near future. All of the completed maps can be consulted at the HER and will be published to the web site (http://www.worcestershiremaps.org.uk/) in order to promote research, at all levels, into Worcestershire's past and aid understanding of how the landscape has changed over the past 160 to 170 years.

D.6.3 Creating a deposit model for the Palaeolithic in Worcestershire#

Neil Lockett, Worcestershire Historic Environment Record and The Shotton Project, University of Birmingham

Nationally the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic periods have had a high profile over the last decade. In the Midlands, however, there has been a general lack of research and a shortage of finds.

The Shotton Project, www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/shottonproject developed by the University of Birmingham and funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, was an attempt to address this lack of research. From the outset it was clear that the results of the Project, both new data and assessments of archive material, would be of more use to archaeological curators and researchers if they were integrated into the relevant HERs. At the time, no such integrated record existed for Quaternary and Palaeolithic material in Britain.

Worcestershire HER saw the benefit of this process and its staff were involved in a pilot project to test the integration of Shotton Project data into an HER. This pilot project involved creating a deposit model for the Lower Palaeolithic

Two main datasets were used:

• Digital geological mapping from the British Geological Survey (BGS) mapped at a base scale of 1:50,000 (DigMap50). This was used to provide a base from which Palaeolithic deposits could be derived.
• Search results from the HER for all sites or find spots of a Palaeolithic date (500,000 to 10,001 BC).

Using the BGS data#

The ten 'tiles' of vector data, corresponding to the original BGS 1:50,000 paper map sheets were merged into a single vector layer. This data was then reprocessed to focus on the features relevant to the Palaeolithic. The completed theme contained all terraces of the Severn and Midland Avon as individual features.

At the same time a literature study provided background information to the current geological interpretation of the Midlands. This study covered two main sources:

• the BGS Sheet Memoirs – books written to accompany the drift geological sheets providing interpretative discussions on the geology.
• geological correlations for the Quaternary recently published by the Geological Society. This provided information on the correlations, formations and terrace sequences for the County. From these sources it was possible to add additional attributes to Palaeolithic deposits to enabled querying and display of the theme based on the following fields:
  • Lexicon Name
  • Formation Name
  • Member Name
  • Terrace
  • Date Range (Figure 32)
  • Minimum Date
  • Maximum Date
  • Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage
  • Period

To clarify the importance of the Quaternary aspects of the record, type sites were included (Figure 33). These type sites provide important information on date ranges and evidence of vertebrates and invertebrates through organic deposits. Only one of the type sites used here had archaeological material within associated contexts. This demonstrates the importance of using non-heritage data sets to make a more complete Palaeolithic and Quaternary HER.

Adding the HER data#

Once the background geology had been established, it was possible to add in the information held in the HER. Information from the enhanced drift geology coverage was linked to the HER data using a spatial join. This provided refined date ranges for many sites contained within the HER and also gave the specific terrace deposit and formation information which could be used to enhance the core HER data (Figure 34).

The result#

The creation of county-wide coverage, containing period and date-range information forms the basis of a Palaeolithic interpretative model which can be incorporated into future research and management programmes. The layer will form the basis of a testable model for the survival of deposits of this period within the county.

The GIS work involved in the creation of the predictive model took four days work. This partnership project has proved, therefore, a cost-effective way of producing such models for inclusion within the HER. The project has highlighted that the successful completion of this type of enhancement project requires a detailed understanding of data sources, both strength and weaknesses, but most importantly a multidisciplinary team.

D.6.4 Prehistoric funerary and ritual sites#

Jeff Spencer, Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust

Introduction#

In 1997 the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) started a Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites project, a comprehensive study of Neolithic and Bronze Age sepulchro-ritual monuments in east and north east Wales. The initial stage of the survey in the Upper Severn Valley, Powys, served as a pilot for what has evolved into a pan-Wales project involving all four Welsh Archaeological Trusts.

The work has been funded by grant aid from Cadw, as part of a national assessment and survey project, and is one of a number of similar themed or period specific projects run by Cadw over the past 10 years. Such projects are designed to audit, assess and report on the condition of a particular aspect of the archaeological resource and to identify management issues and suggest solutions to resolve these. As well as specifically producing management prescriptions and recommending sites for scheduling, one of the key ways in which improved management is delivered is through the systematic enhancement of the HER - thereby improving its various heritage management functions including development control, advice to agri-environment schemes and forestry proposals.

Since 1997 CPAT have studied 7 geographical areas in a series of annual projects, details of which can be found at www.cpat.org.uk\projects\longer\pfr\pfr.htm. By its expected end in March 2006 the project will have run across Wales. Completion would have been achieved sooner but for the serious disruption caused by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2000/01.

Methodology#

The HER was interrogated to extract a digital project database of all sites which potentially fell into the category of Neolithic or Bronze Age funerary and ritual sites. It included sites where the most likely interpretation was not necessarily either prehistoric, or funerary or ritual, but where other, less likely interpretations fell within the scope of the study. For example, cairns which were likely to be clearance cairns, but which may alternatively be burial cairns.

The initial extract of sites was reassessed, taking into account the HER description and any readily available written sources. As a result some sites were excluded from the study on the grounds that they were not considered to be prehistoric in date, belonged to a category of monument other than funerary or ritual, or because they were duplicate records. Records generated from placenames and fieldnames (such as maen, carreg, carnedd, domen and gorsedd which in Welsh may denote the site of a burial mound, standing stone or stone circle, for example) were checked and, where site visits over the years had failed to produce evidence of an archaeological site, were also excluded.

Rapid visits were made to as many sites on the project database as possible, records completed, and their form and condition of the monument assessed, and the project database enhanced. A photographic record was also made and linked to the database.

Results#

• Existing HER entries for all sites in the initial project database were enhanced by improving the detail and accuracy of records, or by adding new information.
• Previously unknown sites were discovered, recorded and subsequently added to the HER.
• Significant groupings of previously recorded sites were recognised, for example round barrow cemeteries and prehistoric monument complexes.
• A consolidated list of site types and site type definitions for prehistoric funerary and ritual monuments was developed, and the list of revised site types applied to the database entries.
• A wide range and large number of sites were recommended for scheduling. Cadw has subsequently granted this status to many of them.
• Specific management data was prepared to support the heritage management functions of the HER.
• A range of publications detailing the work for a variety of audiences have been prepared, including a volume in Cadw’s Caring for . . . series of heritage management advice booklets.

D.6.5 The Shorewatch (SCAPE) Project#

Tom Dawson, University of St Andrews

With one of the longest coastlines in Europe, Scotland has a great number of archaeological sites in distant and exposed locations. The remoteness of much of the coast means that there are large tracts that have not yet been systematically surveyed by archaeologists. Additionally, in many areas the coast is changing rapidly due to sea and wind erosion, leading to previously unrecorded archaeological sites being revealed on a regular basis.

In order to gather information on this vulnerable heritage resource, Historic Scotland has commissioned coastal surveys at a number of locations, and approximately twenty five percent of the coast has now been explored. Professional units have undertaken the work and all new surveys since 2000 have been managed by SCAPE (Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion), a charitable organisation concerned with promoting work on Scotland’s coastal heritage.

SCAPE is also co-ordinating shorewatch, a project aimed at encouraging members of local communities to locate, record and monitor sites on the coast. Groups have been established around Scotland, including on many of the far-flung islands. The groups have received training in how to identify and describe sites and are provided with a resource pack that explains how to work on the project. Many groups have also been provided with basic equipment, including hand-held GPS receivers to help with recording site locations.

Shorewatch participants use pro forma sheets to record details about sites, designed in consultation with staff from the National Monuments Record of Scotland and local SMRs, and conforming to guidelines laid out in the MIDAS manual (Lee 1998). The forms are used to record details about new sites and provide a basis for future monitoring. The completed forms are sent to the Shorewatch co-ordinator for initial checking, which includes entering the details into a database linked to GIS to verify grid references. The forms prompt the group members to record all essential details, and as part of their initial training, group members are asked to record a monument on a blank piece of paper. They are subsequently given a form to record the same monument and then compare the results, allowing them to see how much more information is usually noted down when following the prompts.

The Shorewatch project has been adopted by pre-existing local heritage, history and archaeology societies, and new groups have also been set up specifically to work on the project. Additionally, the SCAPE managed coastal surveys have included a necessity for the professional units involved to provide training to Shorewatch groups. In areas where no groups previously existed, the units, together with the Shorewatch co-ordinator, have either contacted existing heritage organisations or have written articles in local papers and held meetings in halls in order to set up new groups from scratch.

As well as recording sites located in remote places, the use of local groups has proved extremely useful for reporting remains found eroding after a storm or similar event. Some Shorewatch groups are also well-placed to investigate the intertidal zone, being able to visit during low spring tides. Health and Safety is an obvious concern and risk assessment forms and a section of the resource pack help to make participants aware of potential dangers.

In many cases, Shorewatch group members had been monitoring sites over a number of years prior to participation in the project, but had been unaware of how to report their findings. Involvement in the project has helped the groups to understand the workings of local and national records and has provided a mechanism for reporting their findings.

The number of records returned by groups range from occasional notes about a handful of sites to the results of intensive surveys. An example of the latter is the two seasons of work completed by volunteers from the North of Scotland Archaeology Society (NoSAS). They have been surveying the very remote Loch Hourn, walking its shore and immediate hinterland. They have located over four hundred sites that were previously unrecorded in local or national records, and have changed our understanding of human interaction at the loch. Many of the sites relate to the herring fishing industry and include quays, terraces and the footings of buildings. After completion of each season of survey work, group members have compiled a comprehensive report, with summaries for Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. They have also added details of the sites to the Highland Council SMR, after verification of the records by an SMR officer.

Many groups have developed a sense of responsibility for sites in their locality, and have adopted some of these for further study. Such work can include making detailed plans and arranging regular monitoring visits. A few groups have started more intensive work at sites that are threatened with imminent destruction. In collaboration with SCAPE and the local authority Archaeologists, they have begun recording projects aimed at rescuing information that would otherwise be lost. At Brora, Sutherland, the Clyne Heritage Society has been investigating the substantial masonry remains of sixteenth century saltpans eroding on the beach and from dunes. Members of the Society have monitored the great damage that storm tides have done to the walls and are uncovering masonry hidden below drifted sand, drawing plans and making a photographic record of the buildings.

The Unst Heritage Society, based in Shetland on Britain’s most northerly inhabited island, has been working with professional archaeologists to record an eroding prehistoric dwelling. They had been monitoring the destruction of the structure over a number of years and have recently completed a geophysical and topographic survey of the site, together with limited excavation of the eroding face. The professional archaeologists have provided formal training for the group and have helped them with the recording. Society members have arranged a display in the local heritage centre about their recent work, using this as a means of informing the entire island community of their activities and further stimulating local interest in heritage recording.