Section of a single and double linear boundary dyke in Horse Dale, and the junctions of Holm Dale and Harper Dale, north west of Northfield Farm

Scheduled area

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History & significance

The linear boundary dyke in Horse Dale, at the junctions of Holm Dale and Harper Dale north-west of Northfield Farm, is a prehistoric or early medieval earthwork that served as a territorial or land division marker. The monument comprises sections of both single and double linear dykes, indicating either successive phases of construction or differentiation in function across its length. Such boundary dykes are characteristic landscape features of the upland regions of northern England, where they often demarcate ancient land divisions that may have persisted through multiple periods of occupation and land use. The physical survival of these earthworks, despite centuries of pastoral use on the Pennine moorlands, provides evidence of long-established patterns of land organisation in this part of Yorkshire.

Section of a single and double linear boundary dyke in Horse Dale, and the junctions of Holm Dale and Harper Dale, north west of Northfield Farm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015566. View the official record →

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