MMO2312 - Post-medieval peat cutting on Brendon Common (Monument)

A large area of peat cutting, of probable post-medieval date, is visible on aerial photographs as numerous small pits and irregular earthworks on Brendon Common, stretching from Withycombe Ridge in SS 74 NE to Brendon Two Gates on the B3223 and covering an area of approximately 116 hectares. The earthworks are centred at approximately SS 7640 4442 and are of a variety of shapes and sizes, from square pits measuring 10 to 12 metres across, to less regularly shaped, curved pits up to 100 metres long by 30 metres across. Several of the pits show signs of having been reworked, or cut in stages, creating a "stepped" effect to the edges of the pit. 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 south and west. [1-4] A study of the archaeology and history of peat exploitation on Exmoor’s moorlands provides additional background on this practice and specific information on some of the sites present on Brendon Common, including spade marks. [5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]