Details

The monument includes a section of linear earthwork running south east of the
junction of the A171 and the road leading to Fylingthorpe.
The earthwork consists of four banks with ditches in between. The banks are,
on average, 4m wide at the base and stand 0.5m high. The ditches are 3m wide
and average 1m deep. Each ditch has a `V' section. The whole monument is 24m
wide. It runs for 70m from the edge of the road verge and is interrupted on
the south side by a trackway and an expanse of marshy ground.
The surface of the road to the north of the earthwork is not included in the
scheduling but the ground beneath it is.

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.

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 and hence all well-
preserved examples are considered to be of national importance.

The linear earthwork south east of the junction of the A171 and the road
leading to Fylingthorpe survives well for its short length. The banks and
ditches are well defined and the surrounding heathland affords protection
against erosion by beasts or the tread of walkers.

Source: Historic England