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Historic England Research Records

Scots Dike

Hob Uid: 1228685
Location :
Cumbria
Carlisle
Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkandrews
Non Civil Parish
Grid Ref : NY3613673555
Summary : A boundary bank defining the English-Scottish border between the Rivers Esk and Sark, constructed in 1552. The course of the Scots' Dike is preserved for most of its length as a bank with ditches on either side, but its original form appears to have been much altered by later land use and the marginal shift of later field boundaries. Features visible south of the border have been scheduled.
More information : (NY 3307 7367 to NY 3872 7319) Scots' Dike (NR) (1)

In 1552 the Scottish-English border was defined by an earthwork drawn between the Rivers Esk and Sark. The greater part of this earthwork, which comprises a bank and flanking ditches, can still be seen in Scotsdike Plantation but the E and W ends cannot be traced (2). The terminal points were marked by squared stones bearing the royal arms of England and Scotland (3).

Scots' Dike is only traceable within Scotsdike Plantation and extends from NY 3346 7396 to NY 3850 7325. It consists of a bank, with slight ditches on either side, which varies in width from 5.8m at the W end to 3.3m at the east end and stands to a maximum height of 0.8m. Stretches of the boundary have been destroyed and in places the ditches have silted up while elsewhere they have been re-cut. The two terminal stones were not located although spaced along the centre of the bank are small unmarked boundary stones. (4)

No changes to the previous report. (5)

Scots' Dike was visited by English Heritage field investigators in June 1999 as part of the National SAMs Survey Pilot Project. The monument lies at the centre of a belt of woodland, comprising spruce plantation to the north of the dyke and deciduous woodland to its south; although parts of the plantation have been felled recently the dense vegetation rendered detailed survey impossible and investigation was limited to surface examination of the dyke.

The remains of the earthwork, which extends for 5.25km, between NY 3346 7396 and NY 3850 7325, consist mainly of a flat-topped bank flanked by a ditch on either side. As authority 4 noted, the form and preservation of these features varies considerably along the length of the dyke and it would appear that little of the monument survives in its original form but its course is preserved in later boundaries and drainage ditches. Long sections of the ditches, especially the northern ditch, have been re-cut to provide drainage for the conifer plantation, although in places the modern drainage appears to have been cut through the centre of the dyke. Elsewhere, for example at NY 3490 7385, the feature has been almost plough-levelled, the ditches having disappeared and the bank surviving as little more than a rise in the ground. Between NY 3544 7375 and NY 3570 7370, where the Glenzier Beck crosses the course of the dike, there are no traces of the earthwork; whether it has simply not survived or whether the dyke was ever constructed across the slack is not apparent. At a number of points along the length of the dyke - most notably at approximately NY 3445 7390 and NY 3635 7355 - there is a disjointure in the earthwork which is suggestive of a shift in the line of the original boundary, perhaps due to later land use. At the extreme western end of the dyke, between approximately NY 3346 7396 and NY 3390 7392, a second, much slighter bank and ditch lies to the south of the main earthwork but is nothing more than later drainage.

The terminal stones, referred to by authority 4, were not located, but the uninscribed boundary stones remain in situ. The course of the dyke between the western end of Scotsdike Plantation and the River Sark could not be traced on the ground but it may have followed the extant field boundary to the south of Craw's Knowe Farm. (6)

NY 3346 7395 - NY 3880 7317. Earthwork remains of Scots Dike a 16th century linear earthwork visible as a series of banks and ditches and originally contructed to demarcate the border between England and Scotland having run for 5.6 kilometres across the Debateable Land - a lawless area of the borders for many centuries. This linear feature dates back to 1552 when Commissioners appointed by Mary Queen of Scots and Edward IV met to agree the division of land between Scotland and England. 2 parallel trenches were dug and the excavated material was used to create a mound 1.8 metres to 2.4 metres high. In some places a double mound was erected. Currently Scots Dike survives at best as a mound 1.3 metres high and 3.5 metres wide in places although no remains survive west of the road at Craws Knowe. At irregular intervals markers of red sandstone have been erected on the top of the mound. These are thought to be 19th century replacements for original boundary markers. Scheduled. (7)

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Source details : OS 1:10,000 1976
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Source details : RCAHMS. 1920. Inventory of Monuments in Dumfriesshire, xviii-xix.
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : J Palmer/ 29-JUL-1970/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : J Palmer/20-FEB-1973/Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator
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Source Number : 6
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Source details : Amy Lax/07-JUN-1999/RCHME: National SAMs Survey Pilot Project
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Source Number : 7
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Source details : EH scheduling amendment, 07-MAR-2001
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Monument Types:
Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Probably 19th century
Monument End Date : 1899
Monument Start Date :
Monument Type : Boundary Marker
Evidence : Structure
Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : 1552
Monument End Date : 1552
Monument Start Date : 1552
Monument Type : Dyke (Defence)
Evidence : Earthwork

Components and Objects:
Related Records from other datasets:
External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 294
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 32824
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : NY 37 SE 14
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :
Related Activities :
Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 1999-01-01
End Date : 1999-06-01