Great Orton Dyke (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Barrass Gate; Ringfence

In the civil parish of Orton.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY32745473
Latitude 54.88278° Longitude -3.04990°

Great Orton Dyke has been described as a Urban Defence although is doubtful that it was such.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

"At the extermity of a lane that extends 300yds northward of the village is a large foss or double ditch, where an iron chain went across the road and was locked every night, called Barass Gate, made as a defence against the frequent incursions of the Scots or Moss Troopers. The entrance from the east had a similar defence and the whole parish was surrounded with a ditch and an embankment, called the Ringfence." (Whellan)

The whole parish (?village) of Great Orton was at one time enclosed by a ditch and rampart, called the Ring Fence, agains the Scots or Moss Troopers.
North of the village is a large fosse or double ditch (at) Barrass
Gate where an iron chain was stretched across the road every night. The entrance to the village from the east had a similar defence (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Object Name Book).
Collingwood mentions "remains of rampart" here (For other Gates see NY 35 SE 8 & 9).
There are no visible remains of a ditch or rampart at Barrass Gate, or anywhere else in the vicinity of Great Orton (F1 BHP 17-NOV-69). (PastScape)

Comments

Some reports that it still survives in places, although PastScape writes no traces. The line of ditch is not obvious in the modern field pattern, although the medieval field layout can be traced with almost textbook clarity. Even if the ditch just surrounded the village (and the suggestion is it surrounded the parish) it could not have garrisoned - even in an emergency - with sufficient personnel to defend against a significant raid and the mention of it as a defence against the Scots is romantic fantasy. The possibility of a ditched hedge for stock control is not unreasonable.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 10806; 10790; 10793.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 404.

Books
- Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 269
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 65
  Armstrong, A.M., 1952, The Place-Names of Cumberland, part 3 (English Place-Name Society 22) p. 70, 131
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 196
  Whellan, W., 1860, The History and Topography of the Counties of Cumberland and Westmorland (Pontefract: W.Whellan and Co.) p. 175-6 online copy
  Britton, J. and Brayley, E.W., 1803, The Beauties of England; Topographical, Historical and Descriptive Delineation of Cumberland (London) p. 186 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Collingwood, W.G., 1923, 'An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Cumberland' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 23 p. 237 online copy
  Ferguson, R.S., 1884, 'The Bishop's Dyke, Dalston ; Barras Gate, Dalston ; the Bishop's Dyke, Crosby' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 7 p. 274-6 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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