We Need You for Season Two

Our second season of woodland survey in the Rusland Horizons Scheme Area is quickly approaching and we are now recruiting volunteers. The first season, which ran between April 10^th and May 10^th 2017, was hugely successful with a total of 216 hectares of woodland surveyed in full or in part, leaving us with 196 unexplored hectares to be surveyed this year, which we can’t do without your help.

Volunteers demonstrating the profile of a pitstead that has

been cut into a steep slope

The most common features that we found and recorded last year were charcoal pitsteads; the level earth platforms created for burning circular stacks of wood during the process of producing charcoal. They were so common in the Rusland Valley that we recorded 161 of them! ‘Pitstead’ is the term used in Cumbria to describe the platforms, in other areas they may be referred to as charcoal hearths or stacks. The pitsteads come in two distinct types; one is a circular area of cleared woodland, the other is more oval in shape and they tend to be cut into a slope creating a very visible profile. The frequency of these pitsteads, particularly the number on steep slopes, indicates that the charcoal burners were using as much of the woodland as they could access.

One of the huts found in the woodland. The stone hearth

can be seen between the volunteers.

Another indicator of the scale of industry within the woods was the presence of the huts which would have been used as seasonal housing for either charcoal burners, bark peelers or possibly both, as these practices took place at different times of the year. Last year we recorded nine ruinous examples of these huts, which were originally made from turf or stone. Although they vary in form all contained a distinct beehive-shaped, stone-constructed hearth. 

Rabbit smoot

Many other features were found within the woods, some quite common such as tracks, relict walls, hollows and rabbit smoots. Rabbit smoots are small openings found in the base of walls to allow rabbits to pass through. These serve two functions: the first is to stop rabbits from burrowing under the walls, which would weaken the structure of the walls; the second is that a trap was often set on one side of the wall, affording whoever was working in the woods at the time an easy supper. More unusual features recorded included a distinct ‘Hek’ gatepost, a circular stone hunting hide and a commemorative date stone from 1926.

Overall, we had a fantastic season of surveying last year, during which we got extremely lucky with the weather and recorded a total of 272 archaeological features. If you fancy joining us for what promises to be a very exciting second season, please go to http://www.ruslandhorizons.org/whats-on/2018/january/25/spring-woodland-archaeology-surveys-2018.aspx for further details. No previous experience is necessary. If you want to hear more about what we found last year and what we will be up to this year, we are holding an open evening on 28th February. For more details go to http://www.ruslandhorizons.org/whats-on/2018/january/25/rusland-horizons-woodland-survey-archaeology-evening.aspx.

We look forward to seeing you soon!