Scheduled MonumentsEnglandKidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

England
List entry 1019991
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1019991
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.5 hectares
Grid reference
TL 96402 23226
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle is a scheduled ancient monument comprising two linear earthwork segments that form part of the defensive circuit of Camulodunum, the major Iron Age oppidum located near Colchester in Essex. These dykes date to the Late Iron Age, constructed during the final centuries before the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 AD, and represent significant engineering works undertaken to fortify and define the territorial boundaries of this major settlement. The earthworks consist of substantial banks and ditches that would have served defensive and administrative functions, controlling access to the oppidum and its associated settlement areas. Camulodunum was among the largest and most economically important Iron Age centres in Britain, and the survival of these dyke systems provides crucial archaeological evidence for understanding the scale and sophistication of Late Iron Age settlement organisation in southern Britain.

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019991. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle is a scheduled ancient monument comprising two linear earthwork segments that form part of the defensive circuit of Camulodunum, the major Iron Age oppidum located near Colchester in Essex.

Who is responsible for protecting Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum 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 1019991.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gosbecks Iron Age and Romano-British site (1.4 km), Dovecote 80m south west of Olivers (1.9 km), Kidman's Dyke in Walk Wood: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum (2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Kidman's Dyke North and Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum of Camulodunum

ColchesterRoman town · ~2.4 milesBattle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~12.4 miles