david bangs
2013-10-25 20:18:34 UTC
Thanks Trevor.
Speaking to a friend about the low wealden countryside in the '50's and 60's
he reminded me that many road verges and small fragments of waste of the
manor were then still grazed, and hay crops taken unofficially. The graziers
were smallholders and cottagers, farmers and hobby farmers, settled and
itinerant travellers. In the nearly half century since this practice finally
withered (as traffic increased, the lanes were widened and squeezed the
verges, making grazing unsafe on what was left, and as travellers converted
to motor trailers and were driven off commons, wastes and greens) we have
lost the vast majority of our species-rich verges.
In total, Sussex still has a huge area of roadside waste, much of which is
still under grass...but that grass is mostly rank False Oat Grass and coarse
tall herbs, and the percentage which remains of value continues to
shrink...and is now under increased pressure from councils' beleaguered
transport budgets,
Dave Bangs
----- Original Message -----
From: <adastra-request at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
To: <adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 12:00 PM
Subject: Adastra Digest, Vol 89, Issue 9
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> 1. Re: archaic grasslands unofficial grazing (James, Trevor J.)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 12:29:38 +0100
> From: "James, Trevor J." <tjj at ceh.ac.uk>
> To: Adastra discussion group <adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [Adastra] archaic grasslands unofficial grazing
> Message-ID:
> <8C33D34D431A974EAEA913101DDA194402A8391D99 at nerckwmbc.ad.nerc.ac.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
>
> For what it's worth, several sites, not just commons, receive this sort of
> unofficial grazing in Hertfordshire, at least one of which (a former
> gravel pit, back-filled and formerly threatened with re-development) is
> only of any interest because of this intermittent, unofficial (and
> frowned-upon) grazing! The problem is getting it properly timed and
> sanctioned.
>
> Trevor James
> ________________________________________
> From: Adastra [adastra-bounces at lists.sxbrc.org.uk] On Behalf Of david
> bangs [dave.bangs at virgin.net]
> Sent: 21 October 2013 23:41
> To: adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
> Subject: [Adastra] archaic grasslands unofficial grazing
>
> "Pooving the grais"
>
> Three times recently I?ve come across romany travellers unofficially
> grazing (poove) their horses (grais) on neglected archaic Wealden
> grasslands in middle Sussex and SE Surrey. They say they ?poove the
> grais?. I?ve seen it on two neglected commons, where they keep their
> ponies on plug chains, though a foal was unchained, and once on a meadow
> that is mown but never grazed. This traveller woman and her dad regularly
> lead their horse onto the meadow in the evenings for a good feed up when
> no-one is about.
>
> The travellers can do this because the neglected sites are unfenced, so
> they can easily walk on.
>
> All three of these sites benefit from such grazing...and on one of them it
> is the only management (though the common is lovely...with abundant Pepper
> Saxifrage and Burnet Saxifrage....and some Cut Leaved Bramble with the
> juiciest blackberries !!) The ponies and horses seem contented and secure.
>
> It?s good to know that someone is doing the right thing by these places.
> Does anyone know of any more old grassland sites that benefit from this
> practice ?
>
> I remember a young romany bloke staying on Whitehawk Hill for a bit and
> grazing his pony by his trailer (till the council moved him on). It may
> have been the first time the Hill?s chalk grassland had stock grazing
> since world war two !!
>
> Dave Bangs
>
> This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC is
> subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents of this
> email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless it is exempt
> from release under the Act. Any material supplied to NERC may be stored in
> an electronic records management system.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
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> End of Adastra Digest, Vol 89, Issue 9
> **************************************
Speaking to a friend about the low wealden countryside in the '50's and 60's
he reminded me that many road verges and small fragments of waste of the
manor were then still grazed, and hay crops taken unofficially. The graziers
were smallholders and cottagers, farmers and hobby farmers, settled and
itinerant travellers. In the nearly half century since this practice finally
withered (as traffic increased, the lanes were widened and squeezed the
verges, making grazing unsafe on what was left, and as travellers converted
to motor trailers and were driven off commons, wastes and greens) we have
lost the vast majority of our species-rich verges.
In total, Sussex still has a huge area of roadside waste, much of which is
still under grass...but that grass is mostly rank False Oat Grass and coarse
tall herbs, and the percentage which remains of value continues to
shrink...and is now under increased pressure from councils' beleaguered
transport budgets,
Dave Bangs
----- Original Message -----
From: <adastra-request at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
To: <adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 12:00 PM
Subject: Adastra Digest, Vol 89, Issue 9
> Send Adastra mailing list submissions to
> adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://lists.sxbrc.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/adastra_lists.sxbrc.org.uk
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> adastra-request at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> adastra-owner at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Adastra digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: archaic grasslands unofficial grazing (James, Trevor J.)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 12:29:38 +0100
> From: "James, Trevor J." <tjj at ceh.ac.uk>
> To: Adastra discussion group <adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [Adastra] archaic grasslands unofficial grazing
> Message-ID:
> <8C33D34D431A974EAEA913101DDA194402A8391D99 at nerckwmbc.ad.nerc.ac.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
>
> For what it's worth, several sites, not just commons, receive this sort of
> unofficial grazing in Hertfordshire, at least one of which (a former
> gravel pit, back-filled and formerly threatened with re-development) is
> only of any interest because of this intermittent, unofficial (and
> frowned-upon) grazing! The problem is getting it properly timed and
> sanctioned.
>
> Trevor James
> ________________________________________
> From: Adastra [adastra-bounces at lists.sxbrc.org.uk] On Behalf Of david
> bangs [dave.bangs at virgin.net]
> Sent: 21 October 2013 23:41
> To: adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
> Subject: [Adastra] archaic grasslands unofficial grazing
>
> "Pooving the grais"
>
> Three times recently I?ve come across romany travellers unofficially
> grazing (poove) their horses (grais) on neglected archaic Wealden
> grasslands in middle Sussex and SE Surrey. They say they ?poove the
> grais?. I?ve seen it on two neglected commons, where they keep their
> ponies on plug chains, though a foal was unchained, and once on a meadow
> that is mown but never grazed. This traveller woman and her dad regularly
> lead their horse onto the meadow in the evenings for a good feed up when
> no-one is about.
>
> The travellers can do this because the neglected sites are unfenced, so
> they can easily walk on.
>
> All three of these sites benefit from such grazing...and on one of them it
> is the only management (though the common is lovely...with abundant Pepper
> Saxifrage and Burnet Saxifrage....and some Cut Leaved Bramble with the
> juiciest blackberries !!) The ponies and horses seem contented and secure.
>
> It?s good to know that someone is doing the right thing by these places.
> Does anyone know of any more old grassland sites that benefit from this
> practice ?
>
> I remember a young romany bloke staying on Whitehawk Hill for a bit and
> grazing his pony by his trailer (till the council moved him on). It may
> have been the first time the Hill?s chalk grassland had stock grazing
> since world war two !!
>
> Dave Bangs
>
> This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC is
> subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents of this
> email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless it is exempt
> from release under the Act. Any material supplied to NERC may be stored in
> an electronic records management system.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> _______________________________________________
> Adastra mailing list
> Adastra at lists.sxbrc.org.uk
> http://lists.sxbrc.org.uk/adastra
> http://lists.sxbrc.org.uk/adastra-archives
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of Adastra Digest, Vol 89, Issue 9
> **************************************