Lake District National Park - archaeological surveys for management

The spectacular landscape of the Lake District owes its character as much to human activity during the last 6,000 years as to the immense geomorphological changes of much earlier periods. As a result the National Park contains many important and well-preserved remains dating from early prehistory to the post-medieval period. Early prehistoric sites include Mesolithic coastal settlements, the impressive remains of Neolithic stone circles, and the stone axe production sites in the Langdale fells. The remains of later prehistoric settlements, clearance cairnfields, and a variety of ritual monuments are found on many of the lower fells, while the Roman and medieval periods are also well represented. From the sixteenth century the mineral, water, and timber resources of the Lake District provided the basis for a number of industries and this has left an important legacy of industrial sites relating to mining, quarrying, and iron production.

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has long been concerned to preserve and maintain this valuable archaeological resource, but prior to the appointment of its first archaeologist in 1993, part-funded by English Heritage, it had limited capability to carry out archaeological work.

In 1993 the LDNPA began a new programme of archaeological survey designed to raise the level of archaeological information in the Lake District for its own properties and in partnership with other major landowners. The new information will be incorporated in management plans drawn up by the LDNPA and other organisations. The work to date has included surveys in the Ennerdale Forest and on the Haweswater Estate, in partnership with Forest Enterprise and North West Water, and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has also undertaken a number of intensive surveys of industrial remains at the request of the LDNPA.

In 1994 and 1995, the LDNPA implemented an archaeological survey of its own landholdings on the Torver and Blawith Commons on the west side of Coniston Water with financial assistance from English Heritage. The work was carried out by the Lancaster University Archaeological Unit.

The Torver and Blawith Commons comprise an area of approximately 14 sq km extending from the lower slopes of Coniston Old Man to the shores of Coniston Water. The terrain varies in height from 450m OD to 50m OD and extends across a complex geological zone in which rocks of the Borrowdale Volcanic Series meet with Ashgill limestone (formerly called Coniston limestone) and Silurian slates and shales. This provides a sharp and dramatic contrast in geological scenery with high craggy slopes to the north, and lower, more undulating fells to the south. The vegetation ranges from heather moorland to rough grassland with numerous mires and wet flushes and some small stands of juniper. Extensive areas of the Torver and Blawith Commons have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of the importance of the geology and the mire habitats.

The Torver and Blawith Commons were known to be relatively rich in archaeological sites of various periods and some of the remains had already been protected as scheduled ancient monuments. However, previous archaeological work had been limited to the activities of nineteenth-century antiquarians and no accurate survey of the archaeological resource existed. The survey programme began with an examination of material in the Cumbria Sites and Monuments Record, available air photographs, and other documentary sources. In each of the two survey seasons, fieldwork comprised systematic ground reconnaissance followed by recording of archaeological detail using a total station.

In 1995 the survey methodology was enhanced by use of Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment. This uses electronic distance measurement along radio frequencies to satellites to give a positional fix which is accurate to ±1.0m in relation to the National Grid. Use of GPS for the location of survey control is highly cost-effective and internal control established on this basis with the total station achieved an accuracy of ±0.05m. All survey data were logged digitally and then combined with Ordnance Survey digital topographic data. This means that the results can be easily stored and accessed in the Geographical Information System which has been developed by the National Park Authority.

The survey has confirmed the archaeological potential of the Torver and Blawith Commons with the recording of over 400 individual features. The earliest remains are likely to date to the Bronze Age and comprise small clearance cairnfields resulting from early agricultural land improvement, a number of burial cairns including two possible ring cairns, and a small stone circle. A burnt mound located on Torver Low Common may also belong to this period while the Iron Age/Romano-British period is represented by a single defensive settlement. Few medieval sites were identified but industrial activity of this period is indicated by the existence of a potash kiln and two iron bloomeries. A very limited number of small rectilinear structures may be linked to seasonal grazing.

One of the most distinctive monuments within the survey area is an extensive dyke which has the form of either a decayed stone wall or a prominent earthen bank with a stone core. It would appear to be a land boundary of some antiquity but has no specific relationship with any other class of site and therefore cannot yet be reliably dated and may belong to either the prehistoric or medieval period. In the industrial period, activity on the Commons centred on exploitation of the resources provided by the narrow band of Ashgill limestones and shales. This was the source for lime roof slates and possibly metal ores, and archaeological remains include a number of slate quarries, small mineworkings, and a lime kiln.

The survey of the Torver and Blawith Commons has demonstrated the variety of different classes of archaeological remains which can be expected in the Lake District. The predominant landscape of the area is upland grazing, but its status as National Park Access Land also results in recreational use including walking, hound trailing, and motorcycle trials. Although these activities are relatively non-intensive, many can result in damage to archaeological features if they are not properly managed. The new data derived from the recent survey will be of crucial importance in this respect and will be incorporated in the management plan for Torver and Blawith Commons which is due to be revised at the end of 1995.