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Devils Ditch is an Anglo-Saxon defensive earthwork located near Royston in Hertfordshire. The monument consists of a substantial linear bank and ditch that extends for approximately six and a half kilometres across the landscape, forming a barrier that is believed to have served a territorial or defensive function during the Early Anglo-Saxon period, likely constructed between the fifth and seventh centuries. The earthwork's precise original purpose remains debated among scholars, though it may have marked a boundary between adjacent kingdoms or protected a particular settlement or region from external threat. The ditch and bank remain visible as substantial archaeological features, preserving important evidence of Early Medieval land management and political organisation in the region.
Devils Ditch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003522. View the official record →
Devils Ditch is an Anglo-Saxon defensive earthwork located near Royston in Hertfordshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003522.
Devils 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 1003522.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Verulamium, Prae Wood settlement (1.6 km), Verulamium, part of wall and ditch of Roman city (2.4 km), St Albans Abbey, site of conventual buildings (2.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Devils Ditch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Devils Ditch stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.