BBC News tonight (30/11/2020, UK date) had a segment showing how beavers have been placed in Exmoor and that the dam made is the first in the UK in 400 years. Are there any mentions of beavers in the British Isles before they went extinct in the region, how did they influence the British Isles, where were they common and why do we think of beavers as distinctly North American? Do we focus on beavers in North America because Europe "ran out"? Because navigable waterways were a main form of transport (at least in the medieval period) did that make beavers a public enemy? Would you say they were like how badgers are viewed in the UK today (as cute by some, as vermin by farmers for example because of tuberculosis)?
Sorry for the lack of coherence this was written with. I just tried to stuff all my ideas into one paragraph. Any and all thoughts are much appreciated.
Yes, there are mentions of beavers before they went extinct. Poly-Olbion, a poem about Wales and England that was published in 1612, mentions that beavers lived on the River Teifi. The author, however, seemed to acknowledge that they had gone extinct, describing them as a “now-perished beast.” The author of this text, Michael Drayton, got this information about beavers from Gerald of Wales who wrote about them in his work, Itinerary Through Wales (1191).
Even before Gerald's writing, beavers were becoming increasingly rare and valuable. In the year 945, beaver skin was worth half a pound (120 pence). That was much more than other animals. For comparison, someone could sell stag or ox hides for 12 pence. Beaver was also reserved for the King’s garments, which made it even more valuable.
If you look at images of beavers in this time period, you will also notice that they are biting their own testicles. Humans hunted beavers for their testicles, which were believed to have contained medicinal qualities. As a result, there were myths of beavers biting off their testicles in order to escape hunters. Here is one example and another and another.
Beavers were primarily hunted for their fur, meat, and castoreum, a substance from the castor sacs of mature beavers, which were originally believed to be found in the testicles.
Here is the Welsh Law that discusses the value of beaver skin
I will come back with some material on the fur trade as well as beaver conservation in the 20th century.