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Historic Landscape Characterisation: Its Role in Contemporary British Archaeology and Landscape History

Abstract This article introduces the various schemes of Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) that have now been widely adopted by organisations such as Cadw, English Heritage and Historic Scotland. Various articles in this special volume of Landscapes will discuss the achievements of this technique in the fields of planning and countryside management, although several authors will also examine some of its problems. Most attention will focus on these specific schemes of HLC (and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales), and so this article will consider the wider issue of how the more general process of mapping local and regional variation in landscape character can inform us of its origins and development, and how in assessing character we need to move beyond simple morphological criteria. Particular attention is paid to forms of evidence that to date have been largely ignored, notably patterns of landholding and vernacular buildings.