North Yorkshire County Archaeologist Neil Campling has denied allegations that he is undermining efforts to preserve the landscape around the scheduled Thornborough Henges. There has been a spirited campaign by 'The Friends of Thornborough' group to save the landscape that is threatened by gravel extraction by Tarmac.

In its 'Rotten Boroughs' section and below a cartoon of a wrecking ball knocking down trilithons, Private Eye accused Mr Campling of telling people not to sign a petition to save the henges. It was also implied there was collusion between Mr Campling and his predecessor at the county council Mike Griffiths, now Tarmac's archaeologist, in restricting trial trenching to just 2% of the threatened Ladybridge site when 'other archaeologists believe a sample of 8%-10% would give a better idea of what may be there.'

In a three-page letter to The Digger, Mr Campling says 'I have never asked the general public or non-planning archaeologists not to sign the petition,' although he admits he did ask fellow curators in a private email group not to sign because the petition demanded 'all quarrying' around the henges stop. 'No planning archaeologist could honestly take this stance,' he explains, because it would halt existing permitted development and pre-judge future applications.

'Mike Griffiths is the commissioning archaeologist for Tarmac's archaeological investigation,' Mr Campling says. 'As County Archaeologist, I am required to discuss with him the planning requirements for the case. To imply there is some sort of collusion as a result of this ongoing dialogue shows ignorance of the procedures.' In response to the 2% claim, Mr Campling says 'the evaluation at Ladybridge has involved resistivity, magnetometry, fieldwalking, test pitting and trial trenching. Taking this into account means that the wider prehistoric landscape has in fact been sampled at a 50%- 55% level, well above the levels recommended'.

Read the full text of Neil Campling's letter on the BAJR website.(below)

Web links :

Friends of Thornborough website

Thornborough Project at Newcastle University

Nosterfield Project (Mike Griffiths investigations and results)

Nosterfield and Thornborough - Tarmac website

Read them all..... it is not a single issue problem.. it is not a right and wrong or black and white. I will put a poll on BAJR in May asking for opinions on this issue. (BAJR)