Brent Ditch

England
List entry 1006929
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006929
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
5.78 hectares
Grid reference
TL 51078 48062, TL 51793 46890
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Brent Ditch is a linear earthwork located in Cambridgeshire, England, comprising a substantial bank and ditch that extends across the landscape. The monument dates to the Iron Age and represents a significant example of territorial boundary or defensive earthwork from this period. The physical remains consist of a pronounced ditch with an associated bank, characteristics typical of Iron Age linear fortifications in the East Anglian region. Such monuments are understood to have served functions related to land division, stock control, or defence, reflecting the organised landscape management of Iron Age communities in the area.

Brent Ditch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006929. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Brent Ditch?

Brent Ditch is a linear earthwork located in Cambridgeshire, England, comprising a substantial bank and ditch that extends across the landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006929.

Who is responsible for protecting Brent Ditch?

Brent Ditch is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006929.

What other scheduled monuments are near Brent Ditch?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site, fishpond and enclosure at Bordeaux Farms (6.6 km), A moated site and fishpond in Howe Wood, 0.75km south-east of St Mary's Church (8.9 km), Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End (9.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Brent Ditch

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Brent Ditch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Brent Ditch

Brent Ditch stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.