Agricultural History Review, Volume 57 Part 2 (2009), p. 277

As both a Scot and an environmental historian I was pleased to be offered this book for review. We Scots have historically recognized the economic potential of valuable real estate in northern England and the inhabitants of the Ribble Valley were invited on a number of occasions to contribute to the medieval Scottish Exchequer. Although the author of this book describes such invitations as ‘ravages from the north’, they should instead be viewed as a compliment upon the relative strength of the local medieval economy.

Economics aside, this book must have been a difficult undertaking. The author has attempted to discuss the physical, cultural, and historic landscapes of Ingleborough from the Pre-Cambrian Era to the present day in just ten chapters. At the outset, the author states that this book was not aimed at an academic audience but was instead written to enthuse a ‘broad church’ of readers. This is no easy task so it is to the credit of the author that he has largely succeeded in his aims: the book progresses logically from geology to landform processes, and from Mesolithic archaeology through to modern land use. At all times the arguments are underpinned by syntheses of recent research. Each step on these journeys is clearly explained and good use is made of photographs to illustrate particular points.

There are further aids for the reader. Coming from North Britain, where we have a mix of Pictish, Gaelic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Scots, and English historical place-names, it was a relief to find an extensive glossary of place-names at the rear of this book. Here, Ingleborough place-names are alphabetically listed, their etymology explained, and they are attributed to a particular language or languages. This is followed by a further reading section so anybody interested in a particular topic can follow up their interest in more detail.

Given the author’s training as a geographer it is understandable that fully one third of the book (four chapters) has been devoted to the geology and landscape of Ingleborough, yet the prose is always interesting and never dulls. Indeed, I wish other books of this ilk could explain geology and landform processes as clearly as this author has done. These first four chapters are then followed by a further two chapters devoted to the archaeology of North and South Ingleborough. These contain both thematic and site-specific studies that serve to illustrate the varied history of the hill and environs, as well as highlighting the pitfalls of labelling a particular rectangular site-type as ‘Norse’.

This section is followed by a discussion of monastic properties and influences in the Ribble Valley and it is at this point that a noticeable weakness in the book becomes apparent: throughout this part of the text there is almost no discussion of medieval secular lordship in the area. This rather odd omission continues in the post- 1541 landscape sections where there is actually much more information about the tenants of Ingleborough than the upper echelon of landowners. It would have been nice to see how monastic and secular lordship co-operated and argued about exploiting the landscape across time.

The next chapter, ‘Routes through the Landscape’, is well put together and informative but it is again rather spoilt by jumping straight from tenth-century road systems into the early modern period with its drove roads, turnpikes, and coach roads. Nothing is said about the medieval road systems in the area and how they related to earlier route ways.

The next two chapters cover the development of the Ingleborough landscape with sections on stinting rights, enclosure, turbary rights, and quarrying (among other topics). These discussions contain much useful information and here again the author seems to be more comfortable in using early modern and later historical material. Occasionally, the thread is interrupted by local stories and legends. Though not strictly ‘historical’, these tales enhance the storyline and add a touch of ‘local colour’.

The final chapter covers modern land use around Ingleborough and it is in this section that the author really emphasizes just how much the local landscape has changed in the relatively recent past. Here, there are some thoughtful reflections upon the future of this landscape – not all of them positive. Among this is a horribly familiar discussion of shooting estates and the future of Red Grouse populations.

This is not a perfect text: some faults have been noted and it might also have been useful if the author had included a discussion of palaeoenvironmental data, assuming that such data is available for Ingleborough. Nevertheless, this book also has much to commend it and it has certainly encouraged this reviewer to visit the Ribble Valley.