Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

Following the Black Death of the mid 1300s, there is evidence that some arable wasabandoned to heath (Bailey 1989).When grain prices collapsed in the 15 th century as much as 70% of the demense arable couldlie uncultivated in any one year (Bailey 1989).During the 17 th to 19 th centuries at Icklingham, the relative locations of frequently cultivatedin-field and infrequently cultivated out-field at Icklingham shifted and changed (Postgate(1962).Brecks (ploughing of heathland for temporary fields) occurred during the 16 th century, withreferences to ‘breakes’ ‘breches’ and ‘brakes’ (Postgate 1962).During the 18 th and early 19 th centuries, increased corn prices (e.g. during the NapoleonicWars) led to widespread heathland reclamation and large areas of ‘brake land’ (Postgate1973). However it is unlikely that these brecks were ploughed more often than once in tenyears (Postgate 1973), suggesting a large increase in low nutrient fallows and brokenground.Sheail (1979) described ‘shifting cultivation’ in the 17 th to 19 th centuries whereby areas ofheath were broken up and cultivated, offset by reversion of exhausted arable into thewarren.However, the common perception that all heathland in Breckland had experienced episodes ofarable cultivation and was subject to ‘shifting cultivation’ throughout history is incorrect. Thebrecks and intakes of the 18 th and 19 th centuries were a more recent phenomena compared to therelative stability of heaths through the Middle Ages (Postgate 1962; 1973). According to Postgate(1962), little reclamation of heathland occurred in Breckland during the Middle Ages because of theopposition to "plowing the lords hethe '' that prevailed under manorial custom. Some Medievalheaths remained uncultivated up to the enclosures of the 1800s (Bailey 1989). Thus, although muchof the existing grass-heath resource was created from brecks abandoned in the late 19 th or early20 th century (e.g. Thetford Heath, much of STANTA), some parts of surviving heaths may be ancientand may not have been ploughed for at least 800 years.The process of enclosure occurred more slowly and later in Breckland than elsewhere in East Anglia.Agricultural improvement then accelerated in the 18 th and 19 th centuries, peaking during 1800-1820, with enclosures, breaking up of ancient heaths, marling and soil improvement and conversionto arable on an unprecedented scale. The overall area of grass-heath declined from over two-thirdsin the late 1600s, to approximately 30% by the 1830s (Sheail 1979). As part of the drive to crop thewindswept mobile sands, charismatic pine shelter belts were planted during 1815-20 that still givethe region a distinctive character.However, results were patchy and some arable was abandoned from the early 1820s with the onsetof agricultural recession, which further intensified through the later 19 th and early 20 th centurieswith the collapse of grain and wool prices. From the late 19 th century to the early 1900s, large areasof former arable, including recent intakes, were abandoned creating sandy fallow brecks, whilerabbit farming or sporting becoming the main land-uses (Sheail 1979).Between 1900 and 1934: the overall area of grass-heath and heath increased from 28,932 ha 31,922 ha.15