Community Grassland Conservation on a Former Common in the Wye Valley, England

Summary

The Parish Grassland Project operates largely in the Hudnalls, once a large, semi-wooded common in the parishes of St Briavels and Hewelsfield (Glos.), but since 1800 a land of scattered houses and tiny fields. These were created initially by piecemeal land-grabs by local commoners. The aims have been to help field owners, most of whom are not farmers, to maintain the flower-rich grassland, and to interest other residents and visitors in their surroundings. Success was thought to depend partly on the community spirit, which we saw as a legacy of the community’s origin in common rights. This chapter outlines what happened and casts doubts on any continuity of a special community spirit.