A contribution to the vegetation and land use history of the eastern-central north York Moors

Abstract

The vegetation history of an area of l00km(^2) in the eastern-central area of the Worth York Moors is studied by means of pollen diagrams from five contrasting sites. At two of these sites the peat began to form near the beginning of the Post-glacial period, while at the other three sites the deposits date from the first millennium B.C. Pollen analytical zones V to VIIb are distinguished on the diagrams (after Godwin), and for the post-Neolithic period a set of zones (A to G) is delimited, which are correlated between the diagrams. Factors In the history of the vegetation are discussed, and In particular an attempt Is made to assess the part played by Man in modifying the vegetation cover. Zones of clearance activity and woodland regeneration are distinguished. The first major clearance occurred in the Iron Age - Romano-British times, with others in the Viking - Medieval period and from the eighteenth century to the present day. Details of land use practices in these zones are discussed and an attempt is made to correlate these with the known archaeological and documentary evidence for the area, A survey of the contemporary pollen allows some conclusion to be drawn about the dispersal and deposition of pollen within the study area. These results are applied to the sub-fossil pollen diagrams in an attempt to identify probable catchment areas and to seek out the limitations of each of the sites. In conclusion, the need for management and conservation of the vegetation cover in the future is stressed.