Cross dyke 520m north east of Cherhill Monument

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 520m north east of Cherhill Monument survives well and is a good example of its type. It will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was built. This is one of a series of linear earthworks recorded on the downs west of Avebury.

Details

The monument includes a length of linear boundary earthwork located north east of Oldbury Camp hillfort, on Cherhill Hill, on the north western edge of the Marlborough Downs. The boundary earthwork, which survives for a length of 81m running ENE down an east facing slope, includes a ditch up to 1m deep, either side of which is a bank up to 0.5m high. The entire structure is 15m wide and is interpreted as a Bronze Age cross dyke. Other linear boundaries and associated monuments in the vicinity are the subject of separate schedulings. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features 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:

31651

Legacy System:

RSM

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.