Dovedale

History

The caves were used as shelters by hunters around 13,000 BCE, and Dovedale has seen continuous human activity since. Around 4,500 years ago Neolithic farmers used the caves as tombs. There is evidence from Reynard's Cave of Bronze Age activity, and artifacts found there are displayed at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery. Vikings settled in the area in the 9th century CE. Local place names such as Thorpe are of Scandinavian origin. These settlements became permanent, and Thorpe is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Viator's Bridge, a packhorse bridge in Milldale, has been in use since the medieval period when silks and flax were transported from nearby Wetton and Alstonefield. Tourism started in the 18th century, and Dovedale is now one of the most visited natural tourist sites in Britain. In July 2014 it was announced that a hoard of Late Iron Age and Roman coins had been discovered in Reynard's Kitchen Cave. The 26 coins discovered, which have been declared as "treasure", included three Roman coins from before the Roman invasion of Britain, and gold and silver pieces of Late Iron Age date, which are believed to have come from the Corieltavi, a Celtic tribe based in the East Midlands. National Trust archaeologist Rachael Hall said: "The coins would suggest a serious amount of wealth and power of the individual who owned them." The coins were scheduled to go on display at Buxton Museum in late 2014.