Devil's Dyke, Cambridgeshire :: Shared Description

The Devil's Dyke is one of the best preserved Anglo-Saxon earthworks of its kind in the country dating from the 5th or 6th century AD. It consists of a 7.5 miles (12.1 km) long bank and ditch running in a south-east direction from the village of Reach to Woodditton. When it was created, it sealed a narrow land corridor between the southern edge the then undrained and water-logged fenland in the north-west, and dense woodlands in the south, so making circumvention difficult and forming an effective barrier. The dyke crossed three important Roman roads, including the ancient Icknield Way, and may thus have served as a way of controlling trade and movement in and out of the area.

It was probably built by the East Anglians against their Mercian neighbours. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other sources record the frequently tense relations between the two kingdoms, and it is likely that this provoked the need to strengthen the border and control access.

It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM). It also contains chalk grassland of international importance and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

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by Rob Noble
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60 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by Stephen McKay
TL5864 : Footpath gate, Devil's Dyke by Rob Noble
TL5765 : Ditch, Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL6162 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5765 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5765 : Ditch, Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5864 : Devil's Dyke footpath crosses the B1102 by Rob Noble
TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5864 : Devil's Dyke by Stephen McKay
TL6161 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5864 : South-east on the Devil's Dyke by John Sutton
TL6062 : Devil's Ditch by N Chadwick
TL6062 : Devil's Ditch by N Chadwick
TL5864 : Ditch, Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by Hugh Venables
TL5765 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL6062 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5863 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5864 : Devil's Dyke approaching Burwell Rd by N Chadwick
TL6161 : On to the Devil's Ditch by N Chadwick
TL6161 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5864 : Ditch, Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick
TL5963 : Devil's Dyke by N Chadwick

... and 35 more images.

These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images. For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.
Created: Sat, 4 Aug 2012, Updated: Mon, 16 Jun 2014

The 'Shared Description' text on this page is Copyright 2012 Rob Noble, however it is specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse it on their own images without restriction.

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