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Summary

Palaeoenvironmental sampling of the peat deposits of North Twitchen springs for pollen, charcoal, geochemichal and radiocarbon analysis.

Monument Type(s):

• NATURAL FEATURE (Early Neolithic to Post Medieval - 4000 BC to 1900 AD (Throughout))

Description

Centred on circa SS 723 369 the North Twitchen Springs mires comprise a soligneous mire approximately 30 to 40 metres wide and 150 metres long, with a maximum peat depth of approximately 1.2 metres. They are the closest significant peat deposits to the iron working site of Sherracombe Ford. Monolith samples were taken and analysed in 2003 for pollen, microscopic charcoal, geochemical and radiocarbon analysis. Radiocarbon dating indicates 4000 years of continuous peat formation, dating from the Neolithic onwards. Pollen evidence indicates the establishment of a heathland landscape of grass and heather by the late Neolithic, with woodland persisting in favourable locations, such as steep sided combes and sheltered valleys. Geochemical analysis indicates three main phases of metal working in the area, suggested by enhanced atmospheric deposition of metals; the earlier Iron Age, from the late Iron Age into the Romano-British period (50 BC to 400 AD), and the post-medieval period (AD 1600 to AD 1700). [1,2]

At North Twitchen Springs 59 pollen levels were analysed at 2 centimetre intervals across a section 1.16 metres deep. Nine pollen zones were identified, the lowest and earliest zone thought to date to the later Mesolithic or Early Neolithic. The latest phase at North Twitchen Springs appears to correlate with the Sherracombe Ford flush, possibly dating to circa 1750 AD. [3]

<1> Fyfe, R., 2003, Sherracombe Ford and North Twitchen Springs, Exmoor: Analysis of Pollen and Microscopic Charcoal from Mires Associated with Sherracombe Ford (Report). SEM7234.

<2> Juleff, G. + Bray, L., 2007, Exmoor Iron: An Exploration of the Impact of Past Iron Production on the Environmental and Cultural Landscapes of Greater Exmoor: Post-Excavation Assessment, P. 49-50; 161 (Report). SEM7257.

<3> Fyfe, R., 2003, Sherracombe Ford and North Twitchen Springs, Exmoor: Analysis of Pollen and Microscopic Charcoal from Mires Associated with Sherracombe Ford (Report). SEM7234.

Sources and Further Reading

Related records

Other References

• Local List Status (Unassessed)
• National Park: Exmoor National Park
• SHINE Candidate (No)

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