Scheduled Monuments›England›Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood

England
List entry 1003973
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003973
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.86 hectares
Grid reference
TF7451708184, TF7465408651
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish is a linear earthwork situated west of Smeeth Wood in Norfolk, England. The monument consists of a substantial bank and ditch, extending for approximately one kilometre, and represents a defensive or boundary structure of probable Anglo-Saxon date. Such dykes served important functions in early medieval Norfolk, either as territorial demarcation lines or as fortifications controlling movement across the landscape. The earthwork survives as a recognisable topographical feature and remains of archaeological significance as evidence of early medieval land organisation and settlement patterns in East Anglia.

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003973. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood?

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish is a linear earthwork situated west of Smeeth Wood in Norfolk, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003973.

Who is responsible for protecting Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood?

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth 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 1003973.

What other scheduled monuments are near Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hangour Hill (0.6 km), Wayside Cross 550m north east of St Mary's Church (3 km), Village cross 50m east of St Mary's Church (3.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth 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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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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Hangour Hill
0.6 km
Wayside Cross 550m north east of St Mary's Church
3 km
Village cross 50m east of St Mary's Church
3.3 km
Remains of Barton Bendish medieval settlement immediately west of Abbey Farm
3.7 km
Moated site 160m north east of Avenue Farm
4.1 km
Marham Abbey
4.1 km
Moated site in Hills and Holes Plantation, 30m north west of Home Farm
4.2 km
Camphill
4.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood

Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Devil's Dyke, Beechamwell and Barton Bendish. Section 1km in length West of Smeeth Wood

Grimes GravesArchaeological site · ~12.4 miles
Domesday entry for Beechamwell, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments