Scheduled Monuments›England›Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)

Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)

England
List entry 1004040
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004040
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
13.28 hectares
Grid reference
TL 77110 95405, TL 77017 95196, TL 76927 94869, TL 76629 92972, TL 76245 91287, TL 75845 89709, TL 75605 88748
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Devil's Dyke, also known as Fossdyke or Fendyke, is a linear earthwork monument located in Norfolk, England. The dyke is a substantial bank and ditch system that represents medieval or post-medieval land management, likely constructed to define territorial boundaries or serve defensive purposes during the medieval period. The monument survives as a raised bank with an accompanying ditch, visible as a prominent linear feature across the Norfolk landscape. Such dykes are characteristic of Norfolk's complex network of boundary works and represent important evidence of the region's medieval settlement patterns and land organisation.

Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004040. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)?

Devil's Dyke, also known as Fossdyke or Fendyke, is a linear earthwork monument located in Norfolk, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004040.

Who is responsible for protecting Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)?

Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke) 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 1004040.

What other scheduled monuments are near Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Weeting Castle moated site and 12th century manor house with post-medieval ice house (6.3 km), Pepper Hill bowl barrow, 400m north east of Mill Farm (7.4 km), Roman building E of Fengate Farm (7.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

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 Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke) report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Weeting Castle moated site and 12th century manor house with post-medieval ice house
6.3 km
Pepper Hill bowl barrow, 400m north east of Mill Farm
7.4 km
Roman building E of Fengate Farm
7.6 km
Village cross, 90m north east of St James's Church
8.1 km
Leylands Farm Romano-British site, Hockwold
8.2 km
Remains of shrunken village E of Hockwold Hall
8.7 km
Bowl barrow 100m south east of Woodcock Cottage
8.7 km
Earthworks in Little Ouse Valley
8.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)

Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke) stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Devil's Dyke (Fossdyke or Fendyke)

Grimes GravesArchaeological site · ~4.4 miles
Domesday entry for Didlington, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments