Cross dyke, 200m south east of Hosedon Linn

Reasons for Designation

Cross-dykes are substantial linear earthworks typically between 0.2km and 1km long and comprising one or more ditches arranged beside and parallel to one or more banks. They generally occur in upland situations, running across ridges and spurs. They are recognised as earthworks or as cropmarks on aerial photographs, or as combinations of both. The evidence of excavation and analogy with associated monuments demonstrates that their construction spans the millennium from the Middle Bronze Age, although they may have been re-used later. Current information favours the view that they were used as territorial boundary markers, probably demarcating land allotment within communities, although they may also have been used as trackways, cattle droveways or defensive earthworks. Cross-dykes are one of the few monument types which illustrate how land was divided up in the prehistoric period. They are of considerable importance for any analysis of settlement and land use in the Bronze Age. Very few have survived to the present day and hence all well- preserved examples are considered to be of national importance.

The cross dyke south east of Hosedon Linn is very well preserved. It is one of several cross dykes associated with Clennell Street, and forms one of a group of cross dykes associated with other drove roads in the border area. They will contribute to our understanding of prehistoric and medieval territorial division in the northern borderlands.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a cross dyke situated across the flat top of an east-west ridge; it runs for 275m from precipitous slopes at the western end to steep slopes at the east. The dyke comprises an earthen bank 5m wide which stands to a maximum height of 1.5m; there is a ditch 2.5m wide and 0.5m deep on the north side of the bank and a ditch of slighter proportions on the south side of the bank. The association of the cross dyke with the medieval drove road of Clennell Street, which passes through a gap in the dyke, is thought to suggest that it is contemporary with it and may have served as a method of coralling sheep. It is however likely that it is prehistoric in origin and was reused during the medieval period. The fence line which crosses the cross dyke from north to south is excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath it is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

25015

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
NT 90 NW 07,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.