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.
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.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
25015
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
