Clennell Street Cross Dyke 6

Description

The cross dyke south east of Hosedon Linn is very well preserved. It is one of several cross dykes associated with Clennell Street, and forms one of a group of cross dykes associated with other drove roads in the border area. They will contribute to our understanding of prehistoric and medieval territorial division in the northern borderlands.
The monument includes the remains of a cross dyke situated across the flat top of an east-west ridge; it runs for 275m from precipitous slopes at the western end to steep slopes at the east. The dyke comprises an earthen bank 5m wide which stands to a maximum height of 1.5m; there is a ditch 2.5m wide and 0.5m deep on the north side of the bank and a ditch of slighter proportions on the south side of the bank. The association of the cross dyke with the medieval drove road of Clennell Street, which passes through a gap in the dyke, is thought to suggest that it is contemporary with it and may have served as a method of coralling sheep. It is however likely that it is prehistoric in origin and was reused during the medieval period. The fence line which crosses the cross dyke from north to south is excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath it is included. (Scheduling Report)

Remains of a cross dyke are situated upon the north-south ridge of moorland pasture, along the top of which runs Clennell Street. At this point, a small nick cuts across the west half of the ridge, and the dyke runs through the nick from the precipitous slopes on the west side of the ridge into more open moorland on the east side, terminating above very steep slopes. The Street passes through a gap in the dyke, which extends 55.0m to the west, and 220.0m to the east, the last 50.0m being very fragmentary over steepening slopes. The dyke, an earthen turf-covered bank, is 4.0m in width, with a maximum height of 1.5m. Through the nick, west of the gap, there is a ditch on the north side of the bank, 2.5m wide, with a maximum depth of 0.5m (F1 ASP 02-MAY-57).
The bank which is substantial appears to have been built as an obstruction, and is probably contemporary with the medieval Clennell Street (F2 BHP 24-JUN-70).
The profile of the bank where best preserved is sharp and unweathered suggesting a comparatively recent origin. It appears to have been ditched on both sides (F3 ISS 30-JAN-75). (PastScape)