Reasons for Designation
Martin Down and the surrounding area contain a variety of well-preserved
archaeological remains, largely because the area has been unaffected by modern
agriculture and development. This variety of site types and the quality of
their preservation are relatively unusual in the largely arable landscapes of
central southern England.
Bokerley Dyke probably originated in the Bronze Age or Early Iron Age. It was
an important political and cultural boundary dividing areas with markedly
different patterns of land division. Once established, the dyke remained in
use, adapted and remodelled to suit the needs of later periods. These included
the more defensive requirements of the later Iron Age and Roman periods and it
was possibly then that the dyke became the focus of the associated series of
earthworks making up the `Bokerley Line'. The dyke continued in use after the
cessation of Roman administration and still forms part of the boundary between
the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Bokerley Dyke and the archaeology of the
surrounding area were recently the subject of a detailed survey by the Royal
Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.
The linear earthwork north east of West Woodyates Manor forms an integral part
of the `Bokerley Line'. Despite being levelled, the infilled ditch of the
earthwork and features underneath the bank will survive, containing
archaeological and environmental information relating to the construction and
use of the monument.
Details
The monument includes a levelled linear earthwork, part of the `Bokerley
Line', a series of earthworks associated with and augmenting the western end
of Bokerley Dyke. The earthwork is between 25m and 60m south of another
component of the `Bokerley Line' and c.114m south of the western end of
Bokerley Dyke itself, both of which are the subject of separate schedulings.
Of probable Iron Age or Roman date, the earthwork may have been associated
with attempts to prevent incursion into what is now Dorset by blocking routes
from the north, east and west.
The earthwork, which lies west of the lane between Woodyates and Cobley, runs
broadly from west to east, obliquely crossing the line of a very shallow dry
valley. The infilled ditch, which is visible on the ground and on aerial
photographs as soil- and crop-marks, is c.264m long and has a maximum width of
c.20m. Recent Ordnance Survey maps show the ditch to have had a bank up to 8m
wide, now levelled, at its southern side.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
25620
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
