Summary

Cross dyke 275m south of Monsell Cottage.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 7 July 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a cross dyke situated on the steep upper eastern slopes of the valley of the Holy Brook. The cross dyke survives as a long bank measuring up to 70m long, 10.6m wide and 2.1m high. Excavations in 1954-6 showed it to have been revetted in stone with an entirely buried eastern side ditch which when excavated measured up to 7.6m wide and 1.5m deep. It has been variously interpreted as a long barrow and ‘camp’ but following excavation is now widely accepted as a cross dyke.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

The cross dyke 275m south of Monsell Cottage survives well and will contain further archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, territorial and social significance, possible agricultural practices, adaptive re-use and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape 117172

Source: Historic England