Bancbryn: “I’m starting to lose my temper!”

Three days after Cadw were asked to consider the Bancbryn stone alignment for scheduling the responsible Cadw officer informed her colleagues that she was starting to lose her temper.  This outburst was attached to a proposed reply to a couple of emails sent to Cadw on 16^th and 17^th January 2012.

What can have been said to have triggered this outburst?

These e-mails:

• asked to see the evidence that the area had been covered in dense vegetation.
• expressed concerns that it was now apparently acceptable practice to ignore areas covered with dense vegetation during an assessment on areas adjacent to scheduled archaeology that are to be destroyed.
• expressed surprise that no archaeological earthwork survey work has been conducted as part of this project.
• asked that a fresh survey be conducted as a matter of priority.
• informed Cadw that Dyfed Archaeological Trust had claimed that they did not have time to monitor this development in the field.
• expressed concern that an earlier response had suggested that mitigation would be limited to a watching brief.
• asked that a scheduling assessment be carried out as a matter of priority.
• asked to be kept up to date with progress.
• requested that the site be accorded sensitive handling.

Whatever the reason it was surely a somewhat inappropriate reaction to genuine concerns expressed in a constructive manner.

The final irony is that the Cadw officer “forgot” to send the reply!

Mynydd y Betws – A rich archaeological landscape seriously let-down by those entrusted with its care?