Shrunken and Deserted Medieval Villages in the Peak District and Derbyshire: An Investigation into the Origins and Development of Rural Settlement. Part II: The Study Of medieval Village Earthworks On Vertical Aerial Photographs

The aim of this study was to compare the evidence for the recent condition of the Shrunken/Deserted medieval Villages (SMV/DMV) of Derbyshire from two sources: aerial photography and field survey. The study consists of three reports: Part I: A Summary of Results from the AP and Field Surveys Part II:The Study of Medieval Village Earthworks on Vertical Aerial Photographs Part III: A Derbyshire Field Survey The aerial photographs for the 18 selected villages were surveyed at the National Library of Aerial Photographs, National Monuments Record, Swindon in June 1994. The subsequent report on their quality and value forms Part II of the study. The field survey was carried out in late 1994 and the results and provisional interpretations are reported in Part III of the study. Different classes and values of information are retrievable from the two types of survey presented here. AP survey is restricted by quality and completeness of coverage; field survey by ground conditions and accessibility of the area under study. APs record the landscape at specific times over a long period; field survey gives information on the present condition of historic remains. Thus, their complementary nature seems highly valuable. While the summary of the study appears to show that field survey retrieves many more sites, each type of survey retrieves information which both complements and enhances the other survey. When used in conjunction, the study of aerial photographs and field survey provide a fairly comprehensive investigation into the nature and preservation of archaeological remains in and around villages, and allow possible threats to these remains to be identified.