The main objective of the Tarset Archive Group (TAG), established in 2003, was to compile a digital archive of the Tarset area. This was intended to cover all aspects of the human and natural history, past and present. Creation of one or more searchable databases was central to this objective, and Database 'A' would be compiled to hold details of sites of archaeological and historical interest. Additional databases, 'B', covering Biodiversity sites and 'G' covering Geodiversity sites, were planned but not developed. Many 'A' sites such as quarries and mine workings would have been duplicated in the 'G' database. When it proved to be impracticable to develop the âAâ Database as originally intended, it was replaced by a searchable gazetteer.
The Tarset Archive Gazetteer of sites of interest in Tarset developed out of the Tarset Atlas of Historical and Archaeological sites that TAG first published with the Archaeological Practice in 2006. The Gazetteer now comprises more than 550 sites, each of which has its own standardised information page. Many of the sites were added to the more tightly focused Greenhaugh Historical Atlas commissioned from the Archaeological Practice in 2004 by the Northumberland National Park. These additional sites were identified by TAG from local knowledge, and through the study of air photographs and field-walking.
The record pages, containing information on Tarset's heritage are hosted on the Tarset website in PDF format. Each represents a site or feature record. Every one of these carries a code as an identifier (e.g. A0001, A0298), and these records are listed by name, by site type, and by site code. To view these lists, navigate to the gazetteer home page. As an example, someone wishing to know what information was held in the Tarset Digital Archive about The Birks, a possible bastle site, could find this site under 'B' in the alphabetical site listing, under 'Bastles' in the listing by site type, and by searching within the PDF index document.
The updated Tarset Atlas, produced in 2006 for the Tarset Archive Group by the Archaeological Practice Ltd., used map squares to show the distribution of sites within the TAG study area. These map squares, G1 to G4, H1 to H4, L1 to L4 and M1 to M4, have been used since as a reference for the TAG Gazeteer of sites. The G squares form the north-west quadrant of the study area, the H squares the north-east, the L squares the south-west, and the M squares the south-east. Each site listed within the PDF index contains a link to the map square in which the site is located, in order to provide a visual representation of sites' locations in relation to settlements, landscape features, and other sites.
There would be no Gazetteer without the painstakingly thorough work of Dr Michael Money, a long-term member of the group until he moved away from Tarset, which we very gratefully acknowledge here. As a community asset our priority was always to make the Gazetteer as accessible as possible, and it is available here by kind permission of the Tarset Community website's owners, and with the patient IT help and thorough editing by archaeologist Adam Leigh. TAG would also like to thank all the land-owners who kindly gave their permission, and often helped us, to study interesting features identified on their land. To the many experts who gave their time to come and walk, advise, and often puzzle and speculate with us, TAG also owes a huge debt of gratitude.
The Tarset Archive Group has its own page on the Tarset Community website.
Return to gazetteer home page.
The gazetteer is produced, published and maintained by Tarset Archive Group. Please note that Tarset Archive Group members do not guarantee either accuracy or completeness of this record. Data are derived from a variety of sources including its original work; some of these may be copyright. Use of data for any legal purpose should be checked against primary sources. Comments and suggestions to [email protected]
The Tarset Digital Archive by Tarset Archive Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.