About Ictis Heritage Research
Rooted in the past. Focused on the future.
Ictis Heritage Research was founded to help people discover, understand, and share the rich history of the places and communities around us.
With a love of the landscape, a passion for research, and a belief in the power of stories, I offer a friendly and proessional service tailored to your project.
Our Approach
Every project is unique, but our approach is simple.
1. Research
We explore the evidence using a wide range of sources and methods, from landscapes, maps, and site visits, to uncover the story.
2. Interpretation
We make sense of the findings, placing them in their wider contexts to bring clarity and meaning to the story.
3. Engagement
We help you share the story in ways that inform, inspire, and connect with others and the past.
About us
Based in Somerset, Ictis provides professional historical research and heritage services across the South West and beyond. We specialise in building histories, landscape and site investigations, genealogical research, and bespoke historical commissions, combining meticulous research with a passion for uncovering the stories of people and places.
Our work is underpinned by academic training in History and Classics. Every project is approached with care, accuracy, and attention to detail, ensuring our clients receive research that is both rigorous and accessible.
Whether you’re seeking to discover the history of your home, explore your family heritage, or commission research for a community or organisation, we are committed to delivering high-quality work that brings the past to life.
Why work with Ictis?
1. Personal Service
You’ll work directly with us from start to finish.
2. Tailored to you
Research and outputs designed around your needs and goals.
3. Clear and Accessible
We present history in a way that is easy to understand and enjoy.
4. Passionate about Heritage
We care deeply about discovering, protecting, and sharing our stories.
Why “Ictis”?
Alasdair MacIlleathain
Diodorus Siculus, writing in the 1st century BCE, wrote of an island called Ictis (or Iktin) on the southern coast of Britain that was a tin trading hub. It was from Ictis that tin produced in the south west of England was carried by traders across the Mediterranean to North Africa, Greece, and the Levant.
Archaeological evidence and dating show that this trade took place in c. 1300 BCE, long before the Roman occupation of Britain, and even before Rome was founded as a city. It represents the earliest recorded examples of Britain being connected to the wider international trade networks linking the South West of Britain with the ancient world.
Although the exact location of Ictis remains debated by historians and archaeologists, it is widely associated with the tin-producing regions of the South West. Looe Island, the Isle of Wight, and St Michael’s Mount have all been put forward as possibilities. The story of Ictis reflects the deep and often overlooked heritage of the region.
An ancient landscape shaped by trade, industry, settlement and centuries of human activity long before the modern world emerged.
The name Ictis Heritage Research was chosen to reflect this idea: uncovering hidden histories, reconnecting places with their past, and bringing overlooked heritage back into focus through careful and evidence-based research.
Ictis Heritage Research - Alasdair MacIlleathain 