MEM22582 - Post-medieval peat cutting on Halscombe (Monument)

A large scale metric survey of an area of earthworks on Halscombe was undertaken by Hazel Riley in 2013 as part of the Exmoor Mires Project. A series of rectangular hollows were surveyed, measuring 0.5 metres deep and covering an area 65 metres by 25 metres; this represents an area of peat cutting which dates from the post-medieval period. [1] A study of the archaeology and history of peat exploitation on Exmoor’s moorlands provides additional background on the practice and sites. [2]