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Grims Ditch is a prehistoric linear earthwork consisting of a bank and ditch that runs across the chalk uplands of Hertfordshire. The monument dates to the Iron Age, though some sections may have earlier origins in the Bronze Age, and represents a territorial boundary or defensive feature characteristic of prehistoric land division in southern Britain. The surviving sections exhibit the typical form of a substantial bank with an accompanying ditch, cut into the underlying chalk and creating a prominent landscape feature that would have been visible for considerable distances across open downland. As a linear monument of this period and scale, Grims Ditch provides archaeological evidence for the organized use and demarcation of land during the later prehistoric periods.
Sections of Grims Ditch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005258. View the official record →
Grims Ditch is a prehistoric linear earthwork consisting of a bank and ditch that runs across the chalk uplands of Hertfordshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005258.
Sections of Grims Ditch 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 1005258.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berkhamsted motte and bailey castle (1.8 km), Hertfordshire Grim's Ditch: 210m long section immediately north west of Woodcock Hill (4.1 km), Boxmoor House Roman villa (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Sections of Grims Ditch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Sections of Grims Ditch stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.