Reasons for Designation
The north Oxfordshire Grim's Ditch is a series of discrete linear earthworks
of Iron Age date which together make up at least one segmented circuit,
situated between the valleys of the Rivers Evenlode, Glyme and Windrush in an
area of the eastern Cotswolds. In recent years evidence for an outer
concentric circuit has come to light, largely from the study of cropmarks
visible on aerial photographs. The area enclosed by the inner circuit is 12 sq
km and the outer circuit encloses between 60 and 70 sq km. The earthworks
which define this area were only built in open country leaving apparent gaps
in the areas previously forested.
Where visible, the Grim's Ditch always includes a rampart of dumped earth and
stone, a berm and outer ditch and, in places, a narrow palisade trench beyond.
It is believed that, together, these components served to enclose and divide
an area of land and provide control over access through the open country which
existed between heavily forested areas.
The ditch is Iron Age in date and provides evidence of how the landscape was
managed and divided in the period immediately prior to the Roman Conquest. The
high concentration of sites representing Iron Age ritual and agricultural
activity which occur within the area defined by the ditch confirms the view
that it served to define an area which was of particular significance to its
builders.
All sections surviving as visible earthworks, and sections identified by
aerial photography which are integral to a general understanding of the nature
and extent of Grim's Ditch, will normally merit statutory protection.
Details
The monument includes a section of the north Oxfordshire Grim's Ditch situated
adjacent to the River Evenlode, east of Cornbury Park. The ditch and rampart
run from north east to south west for a distance of 200m. The eastern end has
been destroyed by the line of the Charlbury to Witney road and landscaping
beyond it to the east. The extreme western end of the section was destroyed by
the railway cutting (now disused) which runs parallel to the River Evenlode.
The surviving section includes an earthwork bank 6m wide and up to 1m high.
Beyond the bank, to the south, lies a parallel ditch c.6m wide which has
become infilled over the years but remains visible as a slight depression at
ground level, clearly visible on aerial photographs. This is separated from
the rampart by a c.4m wide berm.
Until the late 1970's the bank formed a field boundary on which a thorn hedge
stood. The fields have now been turned into one and the hedge removed.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21838
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
