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thesweetcheat wrote:
Here's a fairly unsensational report from the local press:

http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Landowner-admits-monumental-error-caused-Priddy/story-15864680-detail/story.html

And a report from a conservation blog:

http://ihbconline.co.uk/newsachive/?p=5040

I can't find a law report online from the trial, it may not have been reported.

Those are helpful links tsc ... its all been very unfortunate but Mr Penny doesn't come across as a deliberate vandal. Its easy to see how earth moving machinery could damage the henges unless a clear instruction had been given to avoid them. To someone with no awareness of ancient sites they are not that easy to discern (unlike Avebury).

I'll be honest, I'm not massively sympathetic, as it seems pretty evident that he was aware of the henges, even if he wasn't aware of their full extent. Also, there is a fair possibility that he was fully aware but "chanced it" anyway, on the basis that he might not get prosecuted or that the consequences would be outweighed by the advantages. That's speculation, obviously.

But nevertheless I think it's possible to distinguish this from the tree, where there was very clearly a deliberate and calculated decision to cut the tree down in spite of the order, in order to make a financial gain.

One other thing I meant to say regarding the amounts imposed, is that a lot will depend on the relevant legislation in each case and whether it sets any guidelines or, more likely, limits on the amount of fine that can be imposed. The henge and tree actions will have been brought under entirely separate pieces of legislation, so it makes a "like for like" comparison even more difficult.

V VBB

tjj wrote:
To someone with no awareness of ancient sites they are not that easy to discern (unlike Avebury).
Even Avebury - in several recent examples utilities contractors have turned up to fix faults and started digging the place up, add to this the peace rave (or whatever it was) where some people (who thought they knew about Avebury) started erecting a stage only to be told they were doing it on part of a scheduled monument, and take the householder unwittingly attempting to build a rear porch or do something about the uneven floor in the kitchen with a kango only to be told that it might be an Avenue stone... (the last bit isn't what happened but you take the point)...