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Youâve probably all heard some of the terms to describe idiotic behaviour at various times of the year;
- Mad as a March Hare
- April Fool
- Scatty as a Mayfly (ok I may have made that one up!)
But now that June has arrived, here in Cornwall it seems that the Midsummer Madness idiots really have come out en masse to cause as much havoc to our ancient heritage as they can.
Just five days into the month, and we have already heard of three major incidents of damage to sites in West Penwith.
Firstly, in an act of sheer bloody-minded vandalism, the Men Scryfa stone, which stands a few hundred yards from the famous Men an Tol, had what appears to be petrol poured over it, and set alight. Further, an attempt was made to dig the stone out! Luckily the perpetrators only got down a few inches before either giving up or being disturbed in their endeavours.
Secondly, on nearby higher ground – in fact, the highest point in West Penwith at Watch Croft – what appears to be a BBQ pit was dug. But it gets worse⌠As reported via Facebook:
I climbed up to the summit of Watch Croft last night to watch the sun set and the moon rise. It is a site of archaeological significance and is managed by the National Trust. I was very dismayed to see that someone had decided to have a BBQ there in the round rock shelter, and then dumped the coals into the foliage below, where spotted orchids are blooming. The coals appeared to have been live when dumped, and this is also a massive fire risk, particularly when conditions are so dry.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/137301386294086
To dig a pit in a SSSI is illegal. To then scatter hot coals onto an extremely dry moor environment after the recent good weather is just sheer madness and completely unforgivable!
Thirdly, in a move which I can only imagine is motivated by economic greed, itâs been reported that some of the Swingate Stones have been uprooted. Sadly, these stones had no legal protection, so legally no crime has been committed, though a good case could be made for a moral crime! Itâs not sure when the stones were removed, but sad that the issue came to light at this particular time.
Now, it may be a coincidence that the issues of damage occurred during what was a school half-term holiday, but it shows the need for constant vigilance and education. Sadly, itâs not possible to keep watch on all sites on a 24/7 basis, which is clearly what is needed when the heat scrambles peopleâs brains into such mind-numbing idiocy. But you can help:
When visiting our ancient sites, please report any damage as soon as possible. In Cornwall, we have the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network (CASPN), but in the absence of similar local groups in your area, please contact the local Archaeology Society, or those responsible for maintaining the Heritage Environment Record (usually the local council), and of course, the Police, as damage to ancient monuments is a Heritage Crime.
As happens every summer, we have received various reports of âincidentsâ at some of our wonderful ancient heritage sites.
In Oxfordshire, at the Rollright Stones, some idiots recently lit a fire in the centre of the Kings Men circle. This has caused damage to the grass in the centre, potentially damaging archaeology.Â
This is not the first time that the circle has been subjected to an attack by inconsiderate idiots. In the past, the stones have been daubed with paint, and in one incident, a burning tyre was hung over some of the stones. The rangerâs hut at the stones was also the subject of a deliberate arson attack a few years ago, meaning that those who volunteer to watch the stones overnight no longer had a place to shelter.
Meanwhile, in Wiltshire, we have heard of attacks on cars parked at Silbury Hill and in the West Kennet lay-by, resulting in valuables being removed (stolen) from those cars. Sadly, this is a common problem throughout the year, but such activity always seems to increase in the summer.
And in Cornwall, one of the holed stones on Tregeseal Common has been toppled. At the moment it has not been determined whether this was a deliberate act or an accident caused by the cattle that roam the moor.
Sadly, there is no easy answer to these seasonal problems. Whilst itâs easy to call for harsher penalties for the culprits, actually identifying and apprehending them is another issue entirely. Heritage crime is acknowledged by the police and is being given a higher priority than in the past, but the resources are just not there to deal with it effectively.
Education can help, but often these crimes are caused not by locals, but by visitors. The lack of consideration for local heritage has been exacerbated this year by the sense of entitlement that many holidaymakers have been displaying, often stating things like âI deserve a holiday after being locked in because of the pandemic, youâll just have to put up with itâ.
Have there been any such incidents in your area? Do you have any ideas on how such issues can be tackled? Please let us know in the comments.
Stoney Littleton Long Barrow near Wellow in Somerset is one of the country’s finest examples of a Neolithic chambered tomb. Dating from about 3500 BC, it is 30 metres long and has multiple burial chambers open to view. The barrow is open all year round, and entrance is free. The entranceway to the barrow holds a spectacular ammonite fossil.
Some people have reported difficulty in locating the barrow in the past, which attests to its remoteness. Sadly, this remoteness worked against it last month, when persons unknown visited the barrow and daubed the internal walls with red paint.
Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for witnesses, or any other information leading to the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for this heritage crime (for crime it is, regardless of how ‘fixable’ the damage is).
Following on from the shocking story of Doll Tor earlier this week, scanning through social media shows that there have been several such incidents of vandalism, desecration and sheer numptiness at various sites over the past couple of weeks. Examples include:
- Doll Tor – as we reported earlier this week, stones have been uprooted and camping fires set within the circle.
- Nine Ladies, Stanton Moor – picnicking rubbish strewn across the site.
- Caerleon, Gwent – a series of vandalism events between March and May where stones were displaced and smashed, whilst access to the sites was closed.
- Carn Euny, West Penwith – a group were videoed leaping around the stones in a âparkourâ like fashion, potentially damaging the site. Bear in mind that remedial work was done recently to the floors of the courtyard houses which may not yet have âbedded inâ properly.
- The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor –Â General litter strewn around the site, including several Nitrous Oxide canisters.
Add into this catalogue the recent mayhem (only word for it!) at Durdle Door and other beaches around the coast, and serious questions must be asked about the psychology of the people that act in this way. Is it possible that lockdown and the isolation that many people have been under for the past couple of months has somehow reduced their sense of social responsibility? Or has it increased their sense of entitlement – âWeâve made the sacrifice so now we can act as we damn well pleaseâ? If you’ve partaken in such behaviour, we’d love to hear from you to explain how you can justify your actions – please see our contact page or leave a comment below.
As usual, weâll be keeping a close eye on the situation across the country as the summer progresses (and lockdown eases). If you witness any irresponsible behaviour, or indeed any evidence of heritage crime, please report to the local police or other authorities with photographic evidence if possible. But under no circumstances should you put yourself at risk in gathering any such evidence! Be sensible, but socially responsible out there.
Several years ago (May 2012 to be precise), we posited a mobile app that would allow visitors to heritage sites to report any damage or details of other heritage crimes direct to the appropriate authorities. Heritage crime is any offence which targets the historic environment.
We spent some time thinking about the design of such an app, and how it could work in practice; what functionality would be necessary or desirable, how the lines of reporting would work, and so on. We received a couple of feedback comments to say that a couple of groups were also researching such a thing, but sadly we did not have the resources (or the skills and experience) to take the idea any further ourselves. And we never heard back from those commenters about any progress on their work.
However, an app has recently come to our attention that would appear to meet many of our suggested requirements. Historic England in partnership with Country Eye has made reporting heritage crime quick and easy with a free app. The app looks to be potentially useful according to the introductory video:
After downloading, the app requires the user to register, with the usual details; name, email address, postcode and mobile phone number. Sadly, we were unable to progress beyond this point as every attempt to register was met with a 404 error. This may be due to the app’s one serious shortcoming: it is (currently?) only valid for users in the county of Kent. As we tried to register with a non-Kent postcode, this may have led to the error.
Despite our failure to be able to give the app a tryout for review, it’s encouraging to finally see an attempt by the market to provide something which we first envisaged six years ago. We can only hope that the wider Kentish population becomes aware of the app and that its use is successful in reducing heritage crime in the area.
But dare we hope that this app, or something very similar, will become available on a nationwide basis in the not too distant future?
The National Rural Crime Network recently launched a National Rural Crime Survey.
Do you think rural crime has gone up or down? Do you feel safer? What’s your view of the police in your community? Why not have your say and make your voice heard in the 2018 National Rural Crime Survey?
Please spare a few minutes to take part – http://nationalruralcrimenetwork.net/surveyÂ
Sadly, the desecration occurring at Stonehenge is not, for some reason, defined as a rural crime, or indeed, an illegal act of any sort.
Sad news to report again, this time that the Maen Penddu standing stone in the Conwy Valley, North Wales, has been severely vandalised. Recent photos show several carvings have been made on the stone. The cross was reported last year, but the rest seems to be more recent. The damage has been reported to CADW.
Photo by Matt Jones
Photo by Matt Jones
As the sunlight faded in last nights episode of Nazi War Diggers and the four participants visibly chafed at the bit to dig up a dead soldier, 7 dishonest words were spoken that were also probably used at Lenborough a year ago…..
An uncivilised person is someone who chooses to do what they want rather than what they should. That surely applies to the brigands in both Latvia and Lenborough, and indeed in Channel 5 HQ. All of them falsely claim they acted in the public interest not their own and that anyway what they did was âlegalâ.
Unfortunately the latter claim is broadly true so it is to be hoped that the hundreds of archaeologists and other civilised people who will today be condemning what was shown on the telly last night will reflect that the primary blame, in both Latvia and Britain, lies in the laws that allow such things to be done. If so then something beneficial may have come out of it.
Update: Perhaps however no-one should hold their breath. See this, part of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ complaint to Channel 5:
“CIfA is concerned that the show did depict a style of âexcavationâ that must have destroyed a great deal of potentially important archaeological information ……. and the apparent focus was on artefact recovery only”
…. Fine. Yet that’s a perfect description of the behaviour of thousands of British metal detectorists every single week and CIfA and most British archaeologists express zero “concern” about that.
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Please keep your eyes open for this Bronze age carved stone ball on auction and selling sites. It was stolen from Dunblane museum in November.
A bronze age carved stone ball, measuring approx. 6cm by 6cm has been stolen from its display cabinet at the Dunblane Museum, The Cross, Dunblane, sometime between early and mid November, 2015.
The stone ball may have some identifying numbers marked on it however it would be possible for these to be removed. A photo of the stolen stone ball is attached.
Dunblane Officers are investigating the theft and are appealing for information. If you have any knowledge of who may be responsible or know the whereabouts of the stone ball, please contact them on 101 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Forth Valley Police Division
The Heritage Journal 
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