How far back does heritage go? A call for volunteers to take part in new archaeological investigations at Godborough Castle outside Bideford and Wrangworthy Cross (East Putford) reminds us that Torridge has plenty of pre-history – it’s not just about World War II and the Spanish Armada.

A stone row on Isley Marsh, almost completely submerged in silt, is thought to be evidence of Stone Age occupation, but it is the ‘tumuli’ marked on historic maps which provide the best evidence for early human settlement in our area. These are burial mounds, or barrows, dating from the Bronze age and often grouped together in cemeteries, like the sites around Wrangworthy. There are usually on higher ground, like Bursdon Moor or Darracott Moor, and there is one at Lenwood, overlooking Bideford. These relics dating from thousands of years ago have an immense power to stimulate the historical imagination. 

Torridge also has a wealth of Iron Age monuments, often referred to as hill forts or earthworks. Clovelly Dykes is one of the largest and most impressive in Devon, with a complex series of ramparts and ditches stretching over twenty acres. Some say that, despite its designation as a hill fort, it was not intended for defence at all. Perhaps one day excavations will unearth more of its history. 

Other Iron Age sites in Torridge include Berry Castle (Huntshaw) – a great one to visit – the Castle Hill Settlement (Beaford), and Hembury Castle near Buckland Brewer. These are called ‘defended settlements’ and probably remained occupied into the Roman period. 

It is ironic that it is often the urge to build something new that leads to fresh discoveries about the past. Much archaeological work today comes from surveys which are required for planning purposes. Aerial photography and laser imaging (LIDAR) can reveal cropmarks and other features which are impossible to see from the ground. Surveying techniques like this in connection with the XLinks solar energy project have revealed two early farm settlements near the cable route which have been ploughed over and lain hidden for many centuries. These are Iron Age, or possibly Romano-British, farm enclosures at Hallsannery and at Winscott Barton. 

This heritage may seem very distant, but these sites, and the artefacts and remains found there, have the potential to tell us much more about the first inhabitants of our land and about the importance of our part of northern Devon.