Historic Environment Records (HERs) are the mainly local authority-based services used for planning and development control. They also operate a public service and fulfil an educational role. These records were previously known as Sites and Monuments Records or SMRs. The name has changed to reflect the wider scope of the information they now contain or are aspiring to maintain.
Origins
The first SMR was established by Oxfordshire County Council in the mid 1960s, and coverage of England was completed with Kent in the 1980s. The data originated from the Ordnance Survey (OS) card index record of archaeological sites depicted on OS maps. This information was then enhanced by recording local discoveries and by documentary trawls of published information of all kinds including academic reports, journals and statutory notifications such as schedulings and listing building descriptions.
Initially SMRs were maintained using card indexes and annotated OS maps. The introduction, firstly of computerised databases and, more recently, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has revolutionised the way these records operate. Standardisation has became more important and this was taken on by the former Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), now part of English Heritage (EH), which was given the lead role for these records in England. This has led to the adoption of the MIDAS data standard, shared reference data such as the Thesaurus of Monument Types and a desk manual published by English Heritage entitled Informing the Future of the Past. The RCHME sponsored the first review of SMRs, An Assessment of English Sites and Monuments Records, on behalf of the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (ALGAO).
In the 1990s the network of SMRs was augmented by the creation of a network of Urban Archaeological Databases (UADs). These new HERs have a more specific remit and were designed to address identified weakness in existing records for deeply stratified urban deposits. UADs are held mainly by city or district councils; although some are enhancements of parts of existing HERs.
There are currently a hundred HERs in England. These are mainly county council based but include joint services (i.e. more than one authority working together), district councils, unitary authorities, national parks and major landowners such as the National Trust. The EH website provides a list with contact details for every HER in England.
The term Historic Environment Record first appears in English Heritage’s report Power of Place and reflects the fact that these records are now wider in content than the more traditional concept of archaeology implied by “SMR”, for example by including buildings. This term has been used by the Government for its consultation on the future of HERs, which included Benchmarks for Good Practice, a standard developed by EH and ALGAO setting out the basic level that all HERs should attain as well as an advanced standard that they should aspire to. At present HERs are a discretionary service for local authorities, however, following the Government’s consultation it is likely that they will in the future become a statutory requirement.
Uses and Users of HERs
HERs are used internally by local authorities (and authorities in a different tier of Government) for planning, development-control work and other areas of land management. They are also consulted by statutory undertakers (e.g. electricity suppliers etc) and developers in advance of planning applications. HERs have a role to play in education, being consulted by students at all levels from school children working on projects to post-graduate academic research. HERs operate public services for anyone interested in the archaeology, built heritage and history of an area. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has recognised the importance of these records and is making funds available for improved access and outreach programmes, including online access.
As well as information for internal use with local authorities, HERs provide a range of services to the public. These vary between HERs but include:
- Dedicated desk space and a terminal
- Expert staff on hand to assist, advise and answer queries
- Remote access answering enquiries by post, telephone, facsimile and email
- Websites with interpreted information and an online version of the HER database (only a handful offer this service at present but the number is growing).
- Outreach programmes with travelling displays, leaflets, books, newsletters and lectures
Most HERs do not charge members of the public for their services. They do, however, tend to charge commercial users for staff time, photocopies, printouts etc.
Content of HERs
Content of HERs
Most HERs maintain three types of record dealing with monuments, events (fieldwork such as excavation or survey) and sources/archives. These are then combined in a single database with monuments and events linked to layers in a GIS. In 2002 English Heritage conducted a content survey that showed the diverse nature of sites being recorded and the archive material available for consultation.
To accompany Type information it is important to know the age at which monuments are deemed worthy of inclusion in the HER. The survey showed that 74% of HERs had no cut-off date and the largest grouping in the remainder recorded sites from all periods to the end of the Second World War.
As well as database records, HERs have physical archives that can be consulted. The chart below shows the percentage of HERs that hold each type of archive. It also shows which ones have had source records created so that they can be searched for via a data base and whether they will be linked to the monuments or fieldwork records to which they refer. PPG 16 and 15 reports originate from archaeological and building investigations respectively as a result of conditions placed on planning applications.
Support for HERs from English Heritage
English Heritage’s lead role for HERs is co-ordinated by the National Monuments Record (NMR) based in Swindon. The NMR has a range of services for HERs including:
HER Forum this co-ordinates the HER community and consists of:
- Email Discussion List: an email discussion list for those working in or interested in HERs.
- HER Forum Meetings: twice-yearly meetings (Summer and Winter) held in changing venues around the country and consisting of presentations and discussions on projects and issues of interest to HERs and their users. These meetings are effectively one-day conferences, each with their own title, divided into morning and afternoon sessions concentrating on particular themes. Each HER is strongly encouraged to send representatives.
- HER News: This is a twice-yearly electronic journal produced by the NMR for the HER community, available to download free from the EH website. HER News abstracts can be found in the British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB).
The NMR also offers advice to HERs covering a range of areas and available in a variety of forms, including:
- HER Audits: These are carried out by the individual HERs following a specification produced by the NMR and using a database also supplied by the NMR. A grant to help carry out the audit is available from the NMR. The Audits cover the data, database, GIS, archives, resources (financial and staffing), website and services of the HER. On completion, the results of the audit are analysed and a response produced by the NMR providing comments and recommendations.
- Manual: Informing the Future of the Past (Fernie & Gilman, 2000), a manual for HERs published by EH and produced in association with ALGAO and the Archaeology Data Service (ADS). An updated web-based second edition is planned.
- Visits: available at the request of an HER, or initiated by the NMR.
- HLF funding: the HLF requires HERs preparing bids for dissemination projects to consult the NMR in advance of submission.
The NMR also provides a range of data services for HERs including:
- Reference Data: The Data Standards Unit at the NMR maintains reference data lists and thesauri for the heritage community, including the Thesaurus of Monument Types.
- NMR Licences: HERs are offered a free licence to hold EH copyright material from the NMR and to make it available to the public.
- Liaison with Projects: The NMR can play a facilitating role for HERs in national recording projects such as the Defence of Britain.
- LB Online: The NMR has made a version of the Lists of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest available via the web to all local authorities. Listed buildings data is also supplied to local authorities for loading into HER databases and other planning-related systems.
Finally the NMRC provides computing services for HERs consisting of:
- Advice: assistance for any IT companies working with HERs to ensure that developments meet with national standards.
- HBSMR: a partnership with exeGesIS SDM Ltd to provide a database and GIS package designed specifically for the HER community and used by over half the HERs in England.
Further Information
Publications
- Baker, D, 2002, An Assessment of English Sites and Monuments Records
- EH & ALGAO, 2002, Historic Environment Records, Benchmarks for Good Practice
- EH, 2003, Historic Environment Records: A Guide for Users
- EH, 2003, Services for Historic Environment Records from the NMR
- Fernie, K. & Gilman, P. eds, 2000, Informing the Future of the Past: Guidelines for SMRs
- Fraser, D. & Newman, M., forthcoming, The British Archaeological Database in Hunter & Ralston Archaeological Resource Management in the UK, an Introduction, 2nd edition
- Lee, E. ed, 1998, MIDAS – A Manual and Data Standard for Monument Inventories
- Newman, M, 2001, The SMR Data Audit Programme – A Review
- Newman, M, 2002, SMR Content and Computing Survey 2002
