Archaeological monitoring and recording during Peatland Restoration at Great Gnat's Head, Dartmoor, Devon

A programme of archaeological monitoring and recording was carried out by Oakford Archaeology between January and February 2024 during peatland restoration and associated works at Great Gnat's Head, Dartmoor, Devon. Works involved the excavation of 5 borrow pits, 8 log blocks, 8 peat blocks, and an arc block as well as two hag re-profiling, and the partial excavation and recording of two meilers. The remains of three meilers were uncovered during the works. The profiles suggest a former humic peat soil which was rapidly buried by subsequent peat development. This could represent woodland or vegetation clearances, and resultant increased runoff and increased groundwater leading to preservation of dead plant matter as a moorland peat. These were then extensively cut and dried for economic consumption. The main organic peat development has then suffered drying, decomposition and subsurface biotic mixing resulting in the loss of peat and the development of resultant humic organic silt. Although the peat carbon layer occurs on top of this organic silt, it is likely that some decomposition occurred after the deposit of the peat carbon. We cannot be sure of the status of the humic silt (or peat) prior to the deposition of the layer of peat carbon as decomposition will have occurred in situ and both pre- and post its emplacement. The present soil on the meiler is a humic peaty soil by virtue of developing on the meiler. Other soils in the area tend toward humic-ferric and humic brown podzols, and in wetter areas, raw oligo-fibrous peat soils. Finally, two radiocarbon samples were selected to provide the start of a chronological framework for the sequences, and subsequently for the land-use record as defined by pollen analyses. These returned radiocarbon dates of 1311�24BP cal AD 650-780 (SUERC-127498) and 3541�29BPcal BC 2000-1750 (SUERC-127380) respectively, suggesting that the peat burning (peat carbon layer) and the main meiler peat mound is early medieval (AD 680-750) and later, and that it seals a considerably earlier peaty soil that started to form at a prehistoric (Bronze Age) date. The remains of three meilers were uncovered during the works. The profiles suggest a former humic peat soil which was rapidly buried by subsequent peat development. This could represent woodland or vegetation clearances, and resultant increased runoff and increased groundwater leading to preservation of dead plant matter as a moorland peat. These were then extensively cut and dried for economic consumption. The main organic peat development has then suffered drying, decomposition and subsurface biotic mixing resulting in the loss of peat and the development of resultant humic organic silt. Although the peat carbon layer occurs on top of this organic silt, it is likely that some decomposition occurred after the deposit of the peat carbon. We cannot be sure of the status of the humic silt (or peat) prior to the deposition of the layer of peat carbon as decomposition will have occurred in situ and both pre- and post its emplacement. The present soil on the meiler is a humic peaty soil by virtue of developing on the meiler. Other soils in the area tend toward humic-ferric and humic brown podzols, and in wetter areas, raw oligo-fibrous peat soils. Finally, two radiocarbon samples were selected to provide the start of a chronological framework for the sequences, and subsequently for the land-use record as defined by pollen analyses. These returned radiocarbon dates of 1311�24BP cal AD 650-780 (SUERC-127498) and 3541�29BPcal BC 2000-1750 (SUERC-127380) respectively, suggesting that the peat burning (peat carbon layer) and the main meiler peat mound is early medieval (AD 680-750) and later, and that it seals a considerably earlier peaty soil that started to form at a prehistoric (Bronze Age) date.