Celebrating our history
There are plans afoot for a geophysical survey at Castle Neroche in March. A recent earthwork survey by English Heritage confirmed that the Castle was originally an Iron Age hillfort. Very little is known about this distant history of the site, over 2000 years ago, so we hope that a geophysical survey can provide a little more evidence of any unseen structures. The survey will be undertaken by a team of archaeologists from Exeter University’s XArch Project.
In January Bill Horner from Devon County Council led a walk on Blackdown Common to look at surviving archaeological sites on the hilltop heath. It may be a quiet place to get away from it all nowadays, but in the past it was a busy spot. There are remains of iron extraction sites, whetstone mining, the earthwork remains of a former field system and a strange circular shaped earthwork enclosure, which is mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter for Culmstock Manor.
We’re currently looking for volunteers to become involved with a number of other local history projects. We are developing a Buildings Project, to enable people to investigate the date, character and form of the buildings across the area. We hope to recruit volunteers who could co-ordinate the collection of the information from people in their particular parish. Recording forms are now available from Tanya and will also be shortly downloadable from the Neroche Scheme website.
We are also looking for some volunteers for an Oral History project, to encourage people to share their memories of farming, forestry and local life in the Blackdown Hills. We can train people in how to record oral history, and how best to interview people effectively for those recordings. So, whether you have memories to offer, or time to spend recording other people’s memories, this is your chance! Justin Owen (a local film maker) will be running an introductory training day in February or March, date to be confirmed – see website for details.
Summer
Over the last couple of months the Penny Cunningham from the Exeter University ExArc Project has been doing a geophysical survey of Castle Neroche and the surrounding fields. Watch this space for the results! Later this month (23rd-25th June) Hazel Riley from English Heritage will running an earthwork survey and field investigation workshop at Hawks Moor and Quants. If you are interested and would like to attend please contact Tanya James, the Community History Officer.
