Details

The monument includes the earthwork remains of dylings, a field system of
medieval date, located in the fenland 2.2km north east of St Mary and St
Nicholas' Church. The dylings lie adjacent to the remains of an early
medieval flood defence bank, which is the predecessor of the present Gold Fen
Dike Bank. The monument includes the earthwork remains of the early flood
defence bank.
The dylings take the form of parallel field strips aligned north west to south
east and separated by narrow ditches up to 0.5m deep. The strips are about
100m long and vary in width between 20m and 50m, occupying a total area 200m
wide. Shallow depressions in some of the strips mark the position of former
ponds, and near the centre of the monument is a water-filled pond of later
date. The rectangular area occupied by the strips is bounded on each of the
long sides by a linear bank 3m-5m wide running at right angles to them, and
the whole system is surrounded by a ditch 2m in width. Adjacent to the north
western side of the field system, and aligned with it south west to north
east, is a broad bank cut along the middle by a shallow ditch. This bank
represents the remains of an early flood defence bank believed to have
originated in the late Anglo-Saxon period in order to prevent flooding by
upland waters from the north west. The alignment of the early bank is
followed by the present Gold Fen Dike Bank.
All modern fences and gates are excluded from the scheduling although the
ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Dylings are medieval fields on the siltlands of the Fens and comprise blocks
of strips of cultivated land which were often bordered by droves and dykes.
These strips were separated by ditches and were broader than those of the
`ridge and furrow' system which is more typical of the uplands. They also
differed in that they were ploughed flat, rather than ridged. Very few
examples of this distinctive regional pattern of cultivation are known to
survive as earthworks in the Fens and all good examples which do survive as
earthworks will merit protection.

The medieval dylings and early flood defence bank, immediately south west of
Ash Cottage represent one of the best surviving examples of medieval dylings
in the fenland. Earthworks and buried archaeological deposits will preserve
valuable evidence for medieval farming practice and for the local environment
in which it functioned, as well as that which preceded it. The dylings are
particularly rare in being associated with the remains of an early fen bank,
which preserves information about flood defence in this area over 1000 years
ago.

Source: Historic England