Their History and Archaeology
Though most of us have enjoyed strolling through locals woods, we might not be aware of the ancient origins of our surroundings. From medieval times, woodlands were carefully managed commodities with hotly contested resources: conflicting demands from landowners, the Crown, the peasantry and local and national wood-based industries have all left their marks on today's woodland.
Ian Rotherham here explains the various uses of our woods and their industries - such as coppicing, charcoal burning, basketmaking and bodging - and helps us to find the clues that can piece our woodland history together. Looking at the flowers, the trees that were once worked and the bumps in the ground can tell us about the people who worked and sometimes lived in the woods, this book tracks woodland history from medieval times right up to the present.
