Why are historical remains important?

Every discovery is important. Even if it may not look very exciting to you, to an expert it provides information about who has been here before us and how they lived. By gathering information from many finds, archaeologists are able to build up an accurate picture of what places were like in the past. 

Local traditions also tell us a lot about the history of an area. Folklore and legends, songs, traditional crafts, customs and ceremonies, place names and even some of the words that local people use are an important part of the character of the North York Moors.

Historical remains found in the National Park help us to find out about the different people who have settled here and how they used the land.

These people have built villages and changed the landscape from woodland to farmland to moorland. The landscape we see today is the result of the work of countless generations of people over the last 10,000 years.

Remains from the past cannot be replaced if they are destroyed or lost, in fact many are so special that they are protected by law and must not be altered or damaged in any way.

It is therefore very important that we look after our landscape and all its treasures, and pass it on to future generations to use and enjoy too.