MMO1904 - Medieval or post-medieval peat cutting on Furzehill Common (Monument)

An area of peat cutting and possible drainage can be seen in an area of Furzehill Common enclosed in the post-medieval period, on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards. Most of the visible pits are oval or subrectangular in shape, ranging in size from 3 to 6 metres across, although the largest coherent pit in this group is approximately 20 metres long. A small number of the pits are conjoined to form irregularly shaped features, and may have been worked over many years, potentially from the medieval period. The cuttings are centred, roughly, on SS 7307 4559, at an elevation between 340 and 350 metres above Ordnance Datum. A larger area of turbary can be seen approximately 300 metres to the southeast. [1-4] A study of the archaeology and history of peat exploitation on Exmoor’s moorlands provides additional background on the practice and sites. [5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]