Settlement, Land Use, Environment and Climate in the Landscape of the East Anglian Breckland c.1000BC-1600 AD

Lucking, Thomas (2025) Settlement, Land Use, Environment and Climate in the Landscape of the East Anglian Breckland c.1000BC-1600 AD. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Examination of long-term patterns of settlement and land use in the environmentally sensitive and historically ‘marginal’ landscape of the East Anglian Breckland suggests that climatic fluctuations had little discernible difference in impact compared to wider Britain. Any potential impacts of these fluctuations appear to have broadly the same effect in Breckland as elsewhere. Instead, the distinguishing factor that gives Breckland a clear identity is the local environment. In particular, the underlying geological framework influences surface soil types and fertility, the resultant ecologies that develop on this, the accessibility of water, the settlement patterns of the region and the agrarian regimes employed, which show different adaptations at different times. The archaeological evidence indicates that some areas of heathland that were presumed to be of considerable age only developed in the post-medieval period after formerly being part of the arable landscape, with lidar imagery also revealing relict medieval field systems within former areas of rabbit warren. Likewise, there is evidence for similar extents of Roman arable land within areas of former medieval/post-medieval rabbit warren, further suggesting that areas of heathland recorded in the post-medieval period have a far more mixed history. This thesis examines and characterises a number of aspects of the historic Breckland landscape, including the hydrological and geological framework, the origins of Breckland heath, historic agricultural practices and arable extents, the impact of drift sand activity and the territorial and administrative structuring of the region. The result of these investigations demonstrate that the occupants of Breckland have always attempted to organise and farm their landscape in much the same way as elsewhere but that the particular environment of the region necessitated change and adaptation at certain times.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	03 Feb 2026 08:30
Last Modified:	03 Feb 2026 08:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101816
DOI:

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