Iron age hillforts of West Country to be rejuvenated

[davidb]

A string of iron age hillforts that dot the landscape of the English West Country are to be rejuvenated as part of a lottery award worth almost £1m.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jan/31/iron-age-hillforts-west-country-england-rejuvenated-dorset-wiltshire

[Mark G]

I hadn't realised that the "imaginative alternative" to the Irish backstop proposal was gong to be this far inland. 

still, its nice to know that they haven't just been wasting the last 6 months dithering...

[Jim Webster]

If they got the sheep grazing right, they wouldn't need volunteers pulling the ragwort, sheep would get rid of it anyway in a few years

[Mark G]

Careful, it's near Wales.  Best not mention sheep

[Patrick Waterson]

If they got the sheep grazing right, they wouldn't need volunteers pulling the ragwort, sheep would get rid of it anyway in a few years

I wonder if this is how the hillforts were maintained scrub-free in their heyday.  When we consider early Britain, we tend to think of corn cultivation and storage without giving a great deal of regard to animals.

Might hillforts have been predominantly pasture areas rather than crop-growing locations?  If so, they would at least have the livestock in or close to the right place if trouble threatened.  Add a few grain silos and you are ready for a siege.

[Jim Webster]

If they got the sheep grazing right, they wouldn't need volunteers pulling the ragwort, sheep would get rid of it anyway in a few years

I wonder if this is how the hillforts were maintained scrub-free in their heyday.  When we consider early Britain, we tend to think of corn cultivation and storage without giving a great deal of regard to animals.

Might hillforts have been predominantly pasture areas rather than crop-growing locations?  If so, they would at least have the livestock in or close to the right place if trouble threatened.  Add a few grain silos and you are ready for a siege.

I suspect it would be the way they'd do it. A handful of boys too young to do anything else useful could keep an eye on them and when you look at the sheer acreage of the banks, there's plenty of grazing

[Nick Harbud]

..and they do so keep the grass neat and tidy.

[Erpingham]

Some dyed-in-the-wool grazers there 

I've read somewhere the idea that what we think of as the classic grassy-banked hillfort is just the result of years of sheep grazing and when they were new some had chalk faced banks kept clear of foliage.  This would only work with chalk geology, of course.

If you think about it, there isn't any great advantage militarily to closely cropped grassy banks - a covering of gorse or brambles might be better.  At least it would make attackers take their clothes off, Gaesatae-style 

But then again, that's a fair area of home pasture for your sheep you'd be passing up and, if looking impressive was a major part of the game, closely-grazed banks would look the part.

[Jim Webster]

Some dyed-in-the-wool grazers there 

I've read somewhere the idea that what we think of as the classic grassy-banked hillfort is just the result of years of sheep grazing and when they were new some had chalk faced banks kept clear of foliage.  This would only work with chalk geology, of course.

If you think about it, there isn't any great advantage militarily to closely cropped grassy banks - a covering of gorse or brambles might be better.  At least it would make attackers take their clothes off, Gaesatae-style 

But then again, that's a fair area of home pasture for your sheep you'd be passing up and, if looking impressive was a major part of the game, closely-grazed banks would look the part.

Brambles are good for slowing human wave type assaults, but pretty bad for stopping small competent parties sneaking up at night in their cover

[Patrick Waterson]

If your sheep are grazing on the hillfort, it is that much harder for neighbouring tribes to nip in and steal them.  It also economises on the number of lookouts (and dogs) you need on duty.

Some dyed-in-the-wool grazers there 

Quite a few lawn mowers are similarly coloured.