MMO2310 - Post-medieval peat cutting on Exe Plain (Monument)

A large area of peat cutting, of probable post-medieval date, is visible on aerial photographs as numerous sunken rectangular pits and irregular earthworks, covering an area of approximately 75 hectares on Hoar Tor, Exe Plain and the western edge of Lanacombe, Exmoor. The earthworks are centred on approximately SS 7647 4247 and are fairly uniform in size and shape, mostly consisting of rectangular sunken pits which measure up to 220 metres long by 50 metres wide. It is not clear whether the peat was extracted for domestic fuel, or for turfing enclosure walls; however, in places the cuttings lie in close proximity to 19th Century land improvement drains, and it is possible that they are also related to the drainage attempt of Exmoor by the Knight family in the mid 19th Century. Due to the vast number of pits visible on aerial photographs, only a representative sample has been transcribed, indicating distribution and form. Peat cutting is known to have continued on Exmoor until very recently, and may continue in places. Similar areas are visible to the north on Brendon Common, and the south on Dure Down. [1-5] A study of the archaeology and history of peat exploitation on Exmoor’s moorlands provides additional background on the practice and sites. [6] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [7]