Badger's threaten Scotland's Ancient Sites

Submitted by vicky on Monday, 15 March 2004 Page Views: 3639

Burrowing badgers are destroying priceless pieces of Scotland's archaeological heritage, including the hillfort at Brown Caterthun in Angus and earthworks at a medieval castle which played a vital role in William Wallace's war against the English. A fast-growing population of badgers, attracted by easy digging conditions, is building a network of tunnels which are endangering some of the country's significant ancient sites.

Their tunnelling activities threaten to damage various historic monuments such as Auldton Mott at Moffat and Wigg Tower in Dumfries and Galloway. The decline of hunting badgers for food and bristles for shaving brushes as well as laws to stop badger-baiting has inflated their numbers across Britain.

At Caerlaverock Castle, near Dumfries, badgers were found to have tunnelled through what may have been a 700-year-old series of earthworks.

Peter Yeoman, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic Scotland, described the chaos caused by the animals at Caerlaverock, a castle besieged by Edward I during his war against John Balliol, the Scottish king a campaign still remembered for the resistance put up by the Scots under Sir William Wallace.

"Badgers, in particular, were an issue at Caerlaverock, which is a very important site. There are not one but two thirteenth-century castles there, in a fairly spectacular coastal location," he said.

"A number of badgers' setts were uncovered in a sensitive area where they were burrowing into historical earthworks, which were probably part of the castle's outlying hunting reserve."

Historic Scotland, which is responsible for the management of the country's historic sites, has outlined a number of responses to deal with an archaeological site threatened by burrowing activity.

These include conservation through active management, archaeological recording through surveys and excavation, regular monitoring of damage and no further action.
At Caerlaverock, it was decided to leave the badgers in situ as the damage already had been done.

Mr Yeoman said: "We are always concerned about the destruction of archaeological evidence. But we were aware that we were not going to stop them doing this. It was decided not to do anything as the badger sett was well established.

"Badgers are a protected species and a licence is required for the removal of a sett or the relocation of animals. We continually have to be aware of the threat they cause at sensitive sites."

Surrounded by a double moat, Caerlaverock was built to control the south-west entrance to Scotland which in early times was the Solway Firth.

The castle's triangular plan is exceptionally rare in Scotland, and during the siege of 1300 one chronicler noted that it was "so strong a castle that it feared no siege . . . in shape it was like a shield for it has but three sides round it, with a tower at each corner.

"And I think that you will never see a more finely situated castle, for on one side can be seen the Irish Sea, towards the west and to the north the fair moorland, surrounded by an arm of the sea, so that no creature born can approach it on two sides without putting himself in danger of the sea."

Tunnelling by other animals, including rabbits, rats, moles, foxes and puffins, also is wiping out archaeological information.

Brown Caterthun, the site of an Iron Age hill fort at Menmuir in central Angus, is another important site where burrowing has caused extensive damage.

A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: "We have produced a technical advice note, which is a detailed document about burrowing animals and archaeology. It is a description of preventative methods and control measures appropriate for use at archaeological sites and monuments.

"Historic Scotland also has a grant scheme which is available to owners of scheduled ancient monuments for things like preventing burrowing animal access. We work closely with the owners of scheduled ancient monuments and develop good management practice with them to not only encourage good practice but prevent access by burrowing animals."

She added: "There is also a farming scheme which can be available for things like fencing."

Source: The Scotsman 15/03/2004

Contributor Bio for vicky: Ex Megalithic Portal Editor, Co-author of 'Rock Around the Peak - Megalithic Monuments of the Peak District' and... More

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