Campaign launched to save heritage sites from farmers.

[johnus brummieus maximus]

A report from the Birmingham post and mail 2003 so why dont they get us to help them out before they loose all the treasures for good silly people.

Byline: Sarah Probert

A campaign to save thousands of fragile archaeological sites from being ripped up by farmers across the West Midlands was launched by the Government's heritage body yesterday.

There are 4,000 archaeological sites across the region and 50,000 in Britain, many of which are under threat from intensive agriculture, English Heritage English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. It was set up under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1983.  has warned.

Since 1945 many sites, including some of the oldest visible monuments, have been destroyed or are being seriously damaged, ploughed up or degraded by increasingly powerful farm machinery and ever more intensive cultivation.

According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.  English Heritage, Neolithic long barrows, Roman towns and villas, Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, medieval field systems -a patchwork of the last thousand years -have suffered or are still at risk.


One site which has come under threat in the West Midlands is Pillerton Priors in south Warwickshire. An exquisite Roman mosaic floor at the Roman villa

A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman Empire. The Empire contained many kinds of villas.  has been heavily scored by deep ploughing.

The Ripping Up History campaign coincides with the publication of a consultation paper on the Review of Heritage Protection, which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (sometimes abbreviated DCMS) is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, for example broadcasting.  is carrying out in partnership with English Heritage.

It is aimed at improving and refocusing the ways the past is protected.

The National Farmers' Union has pledged to work with English Heritage to investigate how more effective protection can be given to ancient sites buried beneath farmland in Britain.

John Seymour John Seymour has been the name of more than one person of note:
Sir John Seymour (Tudor) member of the court of Henry VIII of England
John F. Seymour Senator from California
John Seymour (technician) Grammy Award winning sound technician

, environment chairman for the NFU NFU National Farmers Union (Denver, CO and Washington, DC)
NFU National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales
NFU No First Use
NFU Norwegian Farmers' Union
NFU North Florida University , said: 'We recognise with English Heritage that changes to farming policy at home and in Europe provide a useful opportunity to revisit this issue. 'But we need to ensure that changes bring benefits for farmers and our heritage. We need to use language that encourages rather than undermines partnership.'

Mr Seymour called on the Government to work with local authorities and archaeologists to ensure farmers are told about the location and importance of remains.

He added: 'In the majority of cases, damage that has been caused to these sites has been the result of farmers not being informed about the sites rather than as a result of any malicious intent.'

The English Heritage report says nearly 3,000 nationally important scheduled monuments are under cultivation. Although legislation gives protection to these monuments from most threats, in many cases it permits them to be ploughed, even though it can be a major cause damage to fragile and irreplaceable archaeological remains.

Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: 'Modern intensive ploughing has arguably done more damage in six decades than traditional agriculture did in the preceding six centuries.

'We are, quite literally, ripping up our history.

'In doing so we are also doing irreparable damage to the character and fascination of our much loved countryside.'

 

[Val Beechey]

Huh!!  and we are condemed for digging little holes and removing rubbish.(mostly)
 Who are the bad guys here.
At least if we find anything of interest it is recorded - I hope.

Val