§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the archaeological sites that have been revealed as(a) crop marks and (b) parch marks in field as a result of aerial photography during the last 12 months. [40006]
§ Mr. SproatArchaeological aerial photography is carried out in England by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, supported by regional aerial archaeologists assisted by RCHME grants. I am pleased to say that advantage was taken of the recent exceptional drought and additional funds were made available to survey Stonehenge and other nationally important areas. However, it is not the RCHME's practice to distinguish between buried archaeological sites displayed in cereal and other arable plants, knows as, "crop marks", and those presenting themselves under conditions of exceptional drought in grass, known as "parch marks". For the purposes of recording and interpretation, parch marks are regarded as a specialised sub-category of crop mark. A list of photographs showing crop marks is not available in an abbreviated form, although details and copies of all photographs funded by grants are readily available for consultation at the RCHME's headquarters in Swindon.
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