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Meathop Moss is a raised bog in Cumbria, England. Meathop Moss is notable for its insect life. In 1965 it was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Along with two other raised bogs near the Kent estuary, it has been included in the Witherslack Mosses Special Area of Conservation which was designated in 2005.
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Etymology
Meathop is a locality near the village of Lindale. Moss is a dialect word meaning bog.
History
The bog developed above a shingle beach after the last glaciation.
The site was identified by the entomologist Charles Rothschild (1877 – 1923) as being of ecological importance. He was particularly interested in the site as the habitat of the Large Heath Butterfly and the Silver-studded blue.
Rothschild list
Meathop moss was one of a number of sites Rothschild thought was worthy of preservation. In 1899 Rothschild (at the age of 22) had bought Wicken Fen and presented it to the National Trust: it was arguably Britain's first nature reserve. He organized surveys of other sites deserving protection and a "Rothschild list" of 284 sites in Britain and Ireland, including Meathop Moss, was drawn up. It was published in 1915 by the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (the forerunner of The Wildlife Trusts).
In the century after the surveys took place many of these habitats became degraded. Meathop Moss received more protection than most, being leased by the Society as a nature reserve. It did not however have a management plan initially. In 1965 it was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust
In 1998 it was purchased by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund.