CIVILIZATION PUNDIT
What is Destroyed... is Lost Forever.
Civilization Pundit ® will not only concentrate on the history of civilization but will also touch upon important ancillary subjects such as the preservation and conservation of important historical artefacts, archaeological sites, important buildings, cultural legacies such as literature and music, languages, etc. We start here with English Heritage and Civilization.
THE THORNBOROUGH CIRCLES, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND
My (alleged) decipherment of the Thornborough Circles (also somewhat erroneously known as the Thornborough Henges )
see http://www.megaliths.co.uk/thornbor.htm indicates that the land surrounding these circles is of special importance to an understanding of this ancient historical site.
ENGLISH HERITAGE
In response to my letter voicing my concern about rumored future gravel extraction very near the Thornborough Circles north of Ripon, Yorkshire, England, I received the following e-mail response from John Hinchliffe, Acting Regional Director, English Heritage, Yorkshire Region. Since it is not a personal letter to me as such, but rather a statement of English Heritage policy, I am putting Hinchliffe's e-mail on the Civilization Pundit ® blog to make readers more aware of the English Heritage Society, its work and the problems they face. Frankly, MORE money should go to organizations such as this who are working to preserve mankind's history and LESS money should go to various greedy institutions working only for their own personal gain.
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[Response of English Heritage to the e-mail of Andis Kaulins of 1 September 2003, addressed to Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive, English Heritage, see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/, whose job, as they themselves describe is: "It is our job at English Heritage to make sure that the historic environment of England is properly maintained and cared for. By employing some of the country's very best architects, archaeologists and historians, we aim to help people understand and appreciate why the historic buildings and landscapes around them matter. From the first traces of civilisation, to the most significant buildings of the 20th century, we want every important historic site to get the care and attention it deserves."]
LETTER OF JOHN HINCHLIFFE, ENGLISH HERITAGE
[start of the Hinchliffe letter]
Dear Andis
Thank you for your message of 1 September concerning Thornborough Henges in North Yorkshire. Our Chief Executive Dr Simon Thurley has asked me to respond to your query.
As monuments of national importance all three of the Thornborough henges, the associated cursus and adjoining landscape are designated as Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Scheduling, or designation, allows the Government, with advice from English Heritage, to give legal protection to nationally important sites and monuments. The Secretary of State must be notified of any works which might affect a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and will not usually give consent for works which may damage or disturb the site. The henges can therefore be regarded as fully protected and not under threat.
The current mineral extractions at Thornborough, which are outside the scheduled monument area, are the subject of permissions granted to Tilcon-Tarmac by North Yorkshire County Council. At this stage English Heritage has no statutory authority to limit or prevent the extractions, which are within the remit of the local planning authority. The current extraction work has been the subject of archaeological sampling within a mitigation strategy agreed by North Yorkshire County Council's Heritage Unit as a condition of the existing planning consent.
English Heritage remains concerned about the wider landscape setting of the monuments and is currently funding Dr Jan Harding of Newcastle University to undertake extensive archaeological research, at a cost of over £145,000. Dr Harding's work has two principal components: firstly, he has produced an archaeological desktop assessment of the monument complex, clearly defining their significance and landscape setting, and assessing the archaeological
potential of the area. Secondly, he is undertaking a programme of extensive fieldwork to ascertain more fully the nature and preservation of the archaeological remains within the landscape around the henges. The results of Dr Harding's work will inform the future management of the henges and their landscape setting.
Until Dr Harding's work is completed, and the archaeological value of the landscape adjacent to the scheduled henges is better understood, English Heritage is firmly opposed to any further gravel extraction in the vicinity of the scheduled site.
In order to ensure the conservation and appropriate management of the henges and surrounding landscape, English Heritage has worked hard to develop effective partnerships with the owner of the central and southern henges and other relevant organisations. The owner has entered into a Countryside Stewardship agreement with DEFRA which has seen the reversion of the cursus, central henge and intervening landscape from arable cultivation to pasture. In addition, our Inspector of Ancient Monuments for the area has met with local groups (including the Friends of Thornborough) to listen to their concerns and discuss the problems and possible solutions with them, and English Heritage is committed to the continuation of this dialogue.
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Please be assured that we aim to continue working in partnership with the owners, the local community and North Yorkshire County Council to ensure the survival and effective management of the henges and their landscape.
Yours sincerely
John Hinchliffe
Acting Regional Director
English Heritage Yorkshire Region
[end of the Hinchliffe letter]
WHAT ABOUT OTHER HISTORICAL SITES WORLDWIDE?
WHAT ABOUT THE HISTORICAL SITES IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR REGION?
Take a good look at the historical sites in your community or region. Are these being properly protected AND taken care of? It is useless to put sites under protection and then let them crumble to dust.
HOW ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR HISTORICAL SOCIETY?
So much money and so many resources on this Earth are spent for nonsense. Why not spend money for a preservation of history, which is a part of us all, a part of humanity? Contribute to your local historical society.
If you want roots, you have to acknowledge and save them.
HOW ABOUT SPONSORING PRESERVATION OF A MONUMENT?
So, if you do not know what to do with your money, think of "investing" it in a "memorial" that has a longer future, a historical site of importance. Affiliate yourself with the greatness of the past. Look at megalithic sites worldwide, for example, which, with the exception of more famous sites such as Stonehenge, are everywhere in a more or less disastrous condition. Why do communities and individuals not do more for their upkeep?
SAVE MANKIND'S IDENTITY
Yet, as our cities of glass and steel increase in girth, we will in the future appreciate more and more the few valuable things of the past that are saved, showing us where we once were and how things all started, way back when.
Mankind without history is like a man with amnesia. One loses one's identity. In fact, we already live in age of "identity theft", and anyone who has had their identity stolen digitally, knows what a loss this is. Spammers sending out garbage e-mail under your name is not a pleasant experience. The same is true if the essentials of history are garbled by later generations or forgotten.
Knowing where we were gives us perspective and helps us set priorities for the past and the future. A man without a past is a lost soul. And so is mankind.
12:10:16 PM 
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