Source/Archive record SEM8137 - Environmental Change over the last Millennium at Spooners and Ricksy Ball, Exmoor

This report presents the results of an initial palaeoenvironmental survey of two peatland sites (Spooners and Ricksy Ball) on Exmoor. The sites are part of the Exmoor Mire Project, and they have previously been identified as areas of high archaeological and palaeoenvironmental potential. The survey work was undertaken initially to address two key questions: (i) what was the character of the moorlands, particularly during the last 1000 years whilst they were part of the Royal Forest of Exmoor, and what impact did the subsequent sale of the Royal Forest nearly 200 years ago have; and (ii) to what extent can the palaeoenvironmental archive provide long-term data on mire vegetation character and water table variation to extend recent mire restoration monitoring work.