The Romans may well have been the first to make any real impression on these areas of naturally poor drainage. During the first century AD they defined and established a system of channels crossing the vast fens which covered the flat low lying regions of East Anglia at that time. Some of these became useful trade routes and many of these have now come to be regarded as actual riverways. Stretches of the rivers Waveney and Little Ouse may have originated in this way and the channel, which crosses the fen, referred to as the river Waveney may well have been established at about this time.

Prior to any form of documentary evidence concerning man's activities here on the valley fens, we have to reply on theory drawn from speculation and a very broad knowledge of the changes experienced by the fenland habitat in general.

Peat diggers' pathways
During the spring and summer time when peat was being extracted the water level on the fen was still high enough to make passage across the area exceedingly difficult. This was so despite the usually drier weather of the summer months and the enormous quantity of water, which is required for the growth of the luxuriant fen vegetation. This problem of waterlogging was resolved through the construction of a series of paths leading onto the fen from the drier sandy banks near the edge.

These were made of peat and turf thrown up from either side of the route to provide a firm dry path raised above the wet surface. These acted as an arterial system and several parishioners would share one of these main paths to get onto the fen and then turn along a minor path (perhaps simply peat which had not yet been cut and lifted) to their own plots. The main paths are locally referred to as barrow ways - peat barrows being used to carry peat blocks off the fen for stacking and drying. Many of these pathways are still visible today.

Lying alongside the River Waveney and Worby's Drain are examples of other paths found here. These are particularly good ones, which are capable of supporting a tractor or landrover at certain times of the year. These have been established along the embankment next to the waterways. These banks are made of mud, silt and some sand, which originally lay along the bottom of the channels and has since been dumped at the side during dredging operations.

It is likely that since the mid 1800s these channels have been regularly maintained. The main aim of this activity would have been to improve the drainage of the surrounding farmland and /or the fen itself (thus assisting the peat diggers in their task). Possibly with regular dumping of silt on the channel sides the waterside paths would have been improved at the same time as the channel.

Willow markers
Along parts of the northern boundary of Redgrave Fen willow posts were driven into the ground to indicate each individual allotment. Some of these posts sprouted shoots and developed into fine tall white willow trees (Salix alba). Most of these have now decayed having lost either their branches and upper parts or the trunk. These fallen and rotted branches did sprout shoots and added to the advancement of scrub. Most of these have been removed as part of the restoration project.

Peat pools
Another legacy of the peat digging activities, which may still be seen today, are the large number of water filled pits lying scattered across the fen. Peat was extracted by each individual as he worked in his own allotment. The pits that were left were isolated from each other by the uncut peat of the allotment boundaries and minor pathways crossing the plot. These filled with water to form a series of small pools. This contrasts with the method of extracting peat on some of the lowland fens, particularly those lying to the east.

Here the large lakes known as The Broads have developed across enormous pits where long straight seams of peat were probably worked by teams of people. Some of these are believed to have been worked from as early as the 12th century. However, the pits that were left by the peat diggers of the 19th century here at Redgrave and Lopham Fen, and other remnants of valley fens nearby, are on a much smaller scale. These pools are now recognised as habitats of considerable value to the wildlife of the open fen.

The impact of harvesting on the fen

The regular harvesting of the fen vegetation delayed the establishment of scrub or carr woodland. Consequently the characteristic flora of the fen was retained.

By regularly cutting and removing the vegetation on a rotational system the supply of plant litter for the formation of peat was reduced, which slowed the upward growth of peat. The surface of the fen remained relatively close to the water table and the continuing waterlogged conditions prevented the establishment of scrub.

Any scrub seedlings that did manage to get established were cut and removed with each harvest.

The fen vegetation was harvested for a number of purposes. Among them were thatching using reed and sedge, animal bedding using sedge litter and animal feed using marsh hay.

Norfolk reed
Parts of the open fen naturally favour the growth of the Common Reed Grass (Phragmites australis), which is often referred to as Norfolk Reed. Norfolk Reed is a clear indicator of very wet nutrient enriched conditions i.e., growing alongside the ditches and river. Worby's Drain serves fields, which are regularly applied with fertiliser, which is the main source of enriched water. Reed is a competitive species that can develop into pure stands preventing the establishment of other plants.

Reed harvesting
Reed was harvested for thatching and was probably cut on a two-year cycle. By the time the reeds were cut in winter the leaf blades would already have fallen from the dead stems. The reed stems were combed to remove any entangling vegetation and then bundled up to be taken away and used as the main part of the thatch.

Sedge
Saw Sedge (Cladium mariscus) was the most popular variety of a mixture of sedge species cut during the summer on many of the valley fens. Sedge can be used to cap a thatch of reed. Reed stems are unsuitable for task as they are dry and brittle, snapping at any attempt to bend them. The leaves of sedge are pliable but still very strong. The patterns, which may be seen near the ridge of a thatched roof, are actually cut into the edge of the sedge layer. The poorer cuts of sedge were used to thatch hayricks and sometimes stacks of drying peat. The last cut of sedge was taken from Redgrave Fen in 1932.

The word sedge must be treated with care because although this generally refers to the Saw Sedge and other varieties, it has also been used by local people to refer to types of rush (Juncus species.).

A general mixture of plants were cut from the open fen as "litter" for use as animal bedding. Some of the "sweeter" mixtures of vegetation, including such plants as Purple Small Reed (Calamagrostis canescens) were cut for animal fodder often referred to as "Marsh Hay".

Alder and willow growing in or around the drier edges of the fen may have been used for a number of purposes ranging from timber and fuels to brush fences and laundry pegs. For example, 'gypsies' passing through the district used to cut young willow branches and fashion pegs out of these to sell locally. During the early 19th and 20th centuries valley fens experienced a considerable range of activities. Peat digging and harvesting were the only ones involving any real planned use or management of the fen. Even these were on a small scale as they were carried out simply to serve the needs of local folk. Once this form of management ceased the natural succession of vegetation was left unchecked.