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Viewing swaag.org website implies consent to set cookies on your computer. Full details Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1155775
SWAAG Honorary President:
Tim Laurie F,S,A,

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 *****SWAAG_ID***** 606
 Date Entered 09/09/2012
 Updated on 10/09/2012
 Recorded by Tim Laurie
 Category Flower / Plant Record
 Record Type Botanical HER
 SWAAG Site Name 
 Site Type 
 Site Name 
 Site Description 
 Site Access Public Access Land
 Record Date 09/09/2012
 Location M19 Mires at Adjustment Bottom, West Moor and below Spanham West Hill
 Civil Parish Arkengarthdale
 Brit. National Grid 
 Altitude Various
 Geology Upland raised peat mires.
 Record Name The Cranberry Mires of Arkengarthdale and Stainmore
 Record Description Marsh cranberry is scarce to abundant on the surface of M19 raised mires with heather, cross-leaved heath, round leaved sundew, cotton grass, deer grass, sphagnum moss, etc. Cranberry fruit is today virtually non existent, even where the fine stems of cranberry are extremely abundant. Whether this inability to set fruit is due to the absence of pollinating insects (?bees) or whether it is due to the previously widespread drainage gripping of all blanket peat bog during the 1970's or to increasing warm winters is debatable. A very large programme of infilling the drainage grips has recently been completed in Arkengarthdale and will greatly reduce surface drainage through the peat to the advantage of the bog communities. Cranberry occurs at many locations where blanket peat is wet and just two locations are illustrated here.
 Dimensions N/A
 Geographical area Stainmore
 Species Marsh Cranberry
 Scientific Name Vaccinium oxycoccos
 Common / Notable Species 
 Tree and / or Stem Girth 
 Tree: Position / Form / Status 
 Tree Site ID 0
 Associated Site SWAAG ID 0
 Additional Notes During the 19th Century, cranberries were sold at markets 'by the cartload' (Sowerby, J. 'English Botany'. 1873) and G. Walker's print 'The Cranberry Girl'from his series on Yorkshire Dales Life which includes the well known 'Wensleydale Knitters' could have been set at one of the Mud Beck Mires in Arkengarthdale with views towards the Tan Hill Uplands. The girl has collected a heap of cranberries in her apron for her basket and her companion is seen to be very busy picking and abundance of the fruit. In each of the two bogs illustrated where cranberry stems and leaves are abundant, I recently managed to find just one berry.See photo.
 Image 1 ID 3295         Click image to enlarge
 Image 1 Description 'The Cranberry Girl' Print dated 1812 G.Walker.
 Image 2 ID 3296         Click image to enlarge
 Image 2 Description 'The Cranberry Girl' Print dated 1812 G.Walker. Detail.
 Image 3 ID 3297         Click image to enlarge
 Image 3 Description 'The Cranberry Girl' Print dated 1812 G.Walker. Detail.
 Image 4 ID 3298         Click image to enlarge
 Image 4 Description Scargill Moor. M19 Mire with deer grass (Trichophorum sp) in foreground and cranberry in wet places. Below Spanham West Hill.
 Image 5 ID 3299         Click image to enlarge
 Image 5 Description Arkengarthdale. West Moor. Adjustment Bottom Cranberry Mire. Moor drainage grip infilled. A job well done!
 Image 6 ID 3300         Click image to enlarge
 Image 6 Description Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) Sowerby 'English Botany' 1873. Plate DCLXVIII
 Image 7 ID 3301         Click image to enlarge
 Image 7 Description Surface of M19 Mire with heather or ling, cross leaved heath, crowberry, round leaved sundew, cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum),common cotton grass (E. langustifolium),sphagnum etc.
 Image 8 ID 3302         Click image to enlarge
 Image 8 Description Cranberry stems and leaves on sphagnum.
 Image 9 ID 3303         Click image to enlarge
 Image 9 Description Cranberry (the only berry seen) and cranberry stem
 Image 10 ID 3304         Click image to enlarge
 Image 10 Description Round leaved sundew. (Drosera rotundifolia). Sowerby 'English Botany' 1873.
 Image 11 ID 3309
 Image 11 Description Arkengarthdale. West Moor. Mire at Adjustment Bottom.
 Image 12 ID 3310
 Image 12 Description Arkengarthdale. West Moor. Mire at Adjustment Bottom. Surface.
 Image 13 ID 3311
 Image 13 Description Deer grass. Trichophorum sp.
 Image 14 ID 3312
 Image 14 Description Deer grass. Trichophorum sp.
 Image 15 ID 3313
 Image 15 Description Caterpiller of Emperor Hawk Moth.
 Image 16 ID 3315
 Image 16 Description Bog asphodel.
 Image 17 ID 3316
 Image 17 Description Sphagnum with sundew.
 Image 18 ID 3317
 Image 18 Description Sphagnum with massed cranberry stems.
 Image 19 ID 3318
 Image 19 Description Sphagnum mound with sundew etc
 Image 20 ID 3319
 Image 20 Description Sphagnum mound with sundew etc. Detail of surface.
 Image 21 ID 3320
 Image 21 Description The main channelthrough the Mire.
 Image 22 ID 3321
 Image 22 Description Marsh fern. Thelipteris thelipteroides.
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