In 1552 English and Scottish commissioners jointly constructed the Scots Dike, a boundary earthwork across the Debatable Land between the Sark and Esk rivers, formally dividing the contested territory for the first time. The English side of the new boundary was assigned to England and cleared of its reiver population. Construction of the Dike involved English and Scottish engineering work parties protected by armed escorts against potential reiver interference. The boundary proved more durable than expected — though the reivers soon reoccupied cleared land, the Scots Dike established a formal line that shaped subsequent border administration.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near Cumberland