Scheduled Monuments›England›Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge

Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge

England

List entry 1005878

Nation

England

The designation

Reference

List entry 1005878

Authority

Historic England (NHLE)

Status

Scheduled Monument

Scheduled area

0.97 hectares

Grid reference

SU 86824 08664

Boundary

Scheduled area

Overview

History & significance

Devil's Ditch is a linear defensive earthwork located in Sussex, England. This section of the monument extends approximately 480 metres westward from Lavant Lodge and consists of a substantial bank and ditch formation characteristic of Iron Age fortification systems. The earthwork is believed to date from the Iron Age period, when such linear barriers served defensive or territorial demarcation functions across the South Downs landscape. The physical remains visible today represent a significant example of prehistoric engineering and land organisation in the region.

Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005878. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge?

Devil's Ditch is a linear defensive earthwork located in Sussex, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005878.

Who is responsible for protecting Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge?

Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge 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 1005878.

What other scheduled monuments are near Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Chichester Dyke, earthwork E of Chichester Barracks extending 600yds (550m) (2.2 km), Chichester Dyke, earthwork extending N 360yds (330m) from Otter Memorial College (2.8 km), Chichester Castle (3.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge'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.

Start your Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge report

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Chichester Dyke, earthwork E of Chichester Barracks extending 600yds (550m)

2.2 km

Chichester Dyke, earthwork extending N 360yds (330m) from Otter Memorial College

2.8 km

Chichester Castle

3.5 km

Greyfriars Chapel, Priory Park

3.6 km

Chichester City Walls, The Tower, Orchard Street

3.8 km

St Martin's Lane, Little London car park, Roman site

The ground beneath

The bedrock under Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge

Devil's Ditch, section extending 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge 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 530yds (480m) W from Lavant Lodge

ChichesterRoman town · ~2.4 miles Fishbourne Roman PalaceArchaeological site · ~3.2 miles Battle of Cheriton 1644Battle (1644) · ~21.2 miles

Domesday entry for Lavant, Sussex →

All Scheduled Monuments