I've been trying my best to research into Traditional Ecological Knowledge from Britian, but have hit a a brick wall... and I'd appreciate any related facts, links or topics that I haven't yet considered!
I'm trying to find out about various ecological practices that were indigenous to Britain, ways of working with nature that I can actively attempt to repeat. I want to know about actual, real, hands-on, practical, historical methods of British TEK.
I'm interested in anything pre-Industrial, really, the things that everyday people knew about nature in a more direct, sensory way, or was passed down through generations (e.g. old wives tales) as opposed to scientific, industrial approaches.
My research so far has informed me that we in Britain do not have an oral tradition in which things were passed down, or have a modern traditional/folk lineage to learn things from (like Native American peoples do). As such, a lot of this kind of ecological knowledge-based heritage seems to have been lost to history... which makes my quest all the more difficult!
As an example of what I'm trying to understand... I've so far explored ecological old wives tales, some British nature-based folklore, medieval farming practices, the medicinal use of herbs, and Druidry... but a LOT of it presents as being quite romanticised? Or twisted or spiritualised to be more appealing to their modern target audiences?
I've also searched through academic papers, but I haven't found much of relevance... but that may be because I'm not a historian and some of the more academic things I've read presume a great deal of wider knowledge, or are generally very difficult to read. Or are behind paywalls. As such, I have only been able to find a small handful of accessible, useful, trustable resources... and in all honesty, I don't know where else to look.
Are there any kind historians out there who know about this stuff? Is anyone please able to offer examples of practical British Traditional Ecological Knowledges (even if it's related to the topics I've looked into, because I'm no expert on them by any means!)? Or be able to point me in the right direction?
Thank you! Happy to offer more context if it helps :)
Edit: just some rephrasing!
Have you tried the Stuart Press which publishes an awful lot on medieval and early modern farming and husbandry, clothing construction, food preparation, cooking practices, and agricultural practices. Most of their research is based on their work with primary sources and implementing them through trail and error in reconstruction and living history elements. I have come across some of their work in relation to military matters and have been able to apply many of their findings to the application of pre-modern military food supply.
Their works are not always in printed book form, although some are, many in fact are in 20-40 page printed and bound leaflet form. These are, however, packed full of knowledge, primary source material, and details on reconstructed and reimplemented methods.
It might not entirely be what you are looking for, or you may already know of them, but it could be worth a look given your field of study - the agricultural and husbandry elements could reveal some useful primary sources for you. A brief glance at their subsection on early-modern suggests topics on: growing of crops, use of 'wild' plants, general cultivation, knowledge of animals and seasons, hunting, and domesticated animal usage.
http://www.stuart-hmaltd.com/ if you want to see more.