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Archaeologically it is very important to understand the
geology of the area in which you’re working, most particularly in
order to distinguish human artefact from natural, geological feature (a
problem that we have occasionally encountered at Holworthy Farm). So it
was very welcome when Ann Mandry arranged, as the first event of the NDAS
autumn/winter programme this year, a geological walk around Baggy Point.
The walk took place on Sunday 25th September when NDAS members met up
with Dr Paul Madgett, retired professional geologist, to take a walk –
or rather an amble – over Croyde beach and around the point. Baggy
Point has local archaeological importance for two very different reasons:
it
provides widespread and plentiful evidence of quite intense use in the
Mesolithic (say 7,000 – 5,000 BC) and at the other end of the scale,
it has numerous monuments of the period during WW2 when American forces
trained here for the D-Day landings. It was good however, on this occasion
to get a different, geological perspective.
Paul started us off in the national Trust carpark, explaining a few basics and then leading us onto the beach where we immediately came upon rocks of the Pilton beds and we learnt about dip and strike and cleavage and the role that ancient tectonic movements had played in forming the geology of North Devon. Then we crossed the beach towards Downend where there was evidence of changed sea-levels and the effects of glaciation in accumulations of head material exposed in the low cliff.
From Croyde beach we made our way slowly along the south side of Baggy Point, looking at remnants of raised beach, and learning about the processes by which the local rocks had been formed and the conditions that must have prevailed at the time. At one point we scrambled down to sea-level to examine a cave from which the 19th century inhabitants of the former Baggy House used to bathe. Emerging from the cave we viewed an erratic – a boulder transported from Scotland by glacial movement - and under a sudden downpour we ploughed on to the end of the point, where the geology reveals itself most spectacularly.
It was a long day made very enjoyable by Paul’s enthusiasm and his willingness to answer informatively the many questions that were put to him. Paul has now joined the Society, adding to our count of geologists, and although he is a busy man (typical retiree!), it would be good to get him to walk us around a few more parts of North Devon – Hartland Quay, for example – in order to provide the geological perspective.
Copyright © 2007 North Devon Archaeological Society