Scheduled Monuments›England›Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood

Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood

England
List entry 1005875
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005875
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.56 hectares
Grid reference
SU 87653 08879
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Devil's Ditch is a linear earthwork forming part of a substantial defensive system in Sussex, England. This section, extending approximately one thousand metres through Valdoe Wood, comprises a ditch with associated banks characteristic of early medieval or late Saxon date. The monument represents significant evidence of territorial boundary demarcation or defensive provision during the Anglo-Saxon period. Such linear earthworks are commonly interpreted as estate boundaries or military defences marking significant divisions of the medieval landscape.

Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005875. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood?

Devil's Ditch is a linear earthwork forming part of a substantial defensive system in Sussex, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005875.

Who is responsible for protecting Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood?

Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood 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 1005875.

What other scheduled monuments are near Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Chichester Dyke, earthwork E of Chichester Barracks extending 600yds (550m) (2.6 km), Chichester Dyke, earthwork extending N 360yds (330m) from Otter Memorial College (3.1 km), Chichester Dyke, Broyle earthwork, section extending 430yds (393m) through East Broyle Copse, to railway, and earthwork extending 400yds (365m) from Brandy Hole Lane, New Fishbourne (3.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Chichester Dyke, earthwork E of Chichester Barracks extending 600yds (550m)
2.6 km
Chichester Dyke, earthwork extending N 360yds (330m) from Otter Memorial College
3.1 km
Chichester Dyke, Broyle earthwork, section extending 430yds (393m) through East Broyle Copse, to railway, and earthwork extending 400yds (365m) from Brandy Hole Lane, New Fishbourne
3.3 km
Chichester Castle
3.9 km
Greyfriars Chapel, Priory Park
4 km
Chichester City Walls, The Tower, Orchard Street
4.1 km
St Martin's Lane, Little London car park, Roman site
4.2 km
Roman amphitheatre
4.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood

Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Devil's Ditch, section extending 1100yds (1000m), Valdoe Wood

ChichesterRoman town · ~2.7 milesFishbourne Roman PalaceArchaeological site · ~3.6 milesBattle of Cheriton 1644Battle (1644) · ~21.6 miles
Domesday entry for Lavant, Sussex →
All Scheduled Monuments