Bovey Heath is a 32 hectare (50 acre) area of

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

between Bovey Tracey and Heathfield in south

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. Although primarily heathland habitat, the site has some wet mature oak woodland, and is home to rare species such as the Dartford warbler, European stonechat, European nightjar and the narrow headed ant. The reserve has been a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

since 1989. It became a Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve in 2002 and a Local Nature Reserve in 2003.

History

The heath was probably created around 4000 years ago through the actions of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

farmers who would have cleared areas of woodland for grazing and the cultivation of crops. There is at least one Bronze Age

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

on the site. The Battle of Bovey Heath, a regionally decisive battle during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, took place here on 9 January 1646. The site holds one of only two earthworks in the South West dating to this period; it is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. At the time the heath was over 380 hectares (1000 acres) in size, but in the 19th and 20th centuries much of it was destroyed by open-cast mining for ball clay. During the Second World War and for a short time after, the site was used as a training ground for American soldiers. Since the war the remaining heath was badly neglected, used as a dumping ground and a place for unauthorised

off-roading Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...

. This activity was halted by Devon Wildlife Trust when it took over the site.

References

* {{coord, 50, 34, 32, N, 3, 40, 00, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:GB Heathland Sites of Special Scientific Interest Local Nature Reserves in Devon Nature reserves in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1989 Heaths of Devon