Youth Volunteering and Hampstead Heath’s History
By Heath Hands youth volunteer Alessia Deane (aged 15)
When I was about 11, I was obsessed with history and archaeological sites. I would read articles, books and anything I could on famous historic sites, but little did I know, I had lived next to one for the past 4 years! Many take for granted living near the Heath, and few know much about its history.
When I joined Heath Hands, I learned new facts every week about plants, wildlife and conservation as the session leaders gave us briefings at the start of each session.
Youth volunteers installing cameras for the 2024 ZSL hedgehog survey.
Youth volunteers identifying native plants with Heath Hands session leader
However, these are not the only facts I have learned from Heath Hands, I have also learned some historical snippets which have become very interesting, which is why my whole volunteering experience has been so valuable to me. I have now started to become interested in the history of this green space that so many people would take for granted.
The first historical fact that I learned through my Heath Hands volunteering is that some of its hedgerows are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Documentary evidence of Hampstead Heath has existed since 986 CE, where it is recorded that Ethelred the Unready granted 5 hides of land in “Hamstede” (as it was known at the time) to the Abbot of Westminster. The land was known as the “Manor of Hampstead”, which was held until 1133, when part of the land was given to Richard de Balta. Before then, the Heath was owned by Alexander de Barentyn, the butler of King Henry II. However, this is just the start of the Heath’s existence. I find this fascinating as just under a thousand years ago, Hampstead was farmland owned by important people in society, far from what we know it to be today.
Another fact that I learned through my Heath Hands volunteering is that bronze age settlers also enjoyed what we would now call barbecue food. When I researched this, I found that there was an archaeological dig done on Parliament Hill in 2017, where they found flints and charcoal (the first found in the area) dating back to around 1200 BCE, suggesting that prehistoric humans walked up the hill and barbecued food (possibly animals that they hunted). This was just one of many discoveries found during the dig. Other artifacts found include a Roman rooftile, iron age barrow, shards of clay from a pipe dating back to the 1700s and an army cap badge dating back to World War 2. This research and interest once again started from a small fact that I thank Heath Hands for teaching me.
Kite Flying on Parliament Hill 1913
I think that former Heath Ranger Danny Murphy is 100% right when he said: “It is lovely to know the Heath we walk across has been used by Londoners for thousands of years”. I couldn’t agree more. I also, unlike the 11 year old me of 4 years ago, no longer take for granted the opportunities I have living in this area and learning so much from my volunteering group. Thank you, Heath Hands, for teaching me about my local area!
The Heath Hands youth volunteering programme is re-starting on 21st September 2024 - if you or any young people you know might like to get involved, you can find out more here.
