Linear earthworks
A prehistoric linear earthwork is a man-made feature comprising single or multiple ditches and banks which continue for distances varying between less than 1km and over 10km. In profile the ditches are either V- or U-shaped, while their dimensions range between 1.5m to 6m wide and between 0.4 to 2.0m deep. The banks are of simple dump construction and where they survive rarely exceed a height of 0.5m or a width of 3.0m. Prehistoric linear boundaries may be identified in the field as low earthworks, or crop or soil marks visible on aerial photographs.
Prehistoric linear boundaries, dating from the middle Bronze Age and throughout the Iron Age, are thought to represent territorial boundaries in an economy which included much pastoralism; the boundaries of multiple ditches and banks may mark out territories of particular importance or prestige.
Prehistoric linear boundaries are concentrated in distinct areas of the country; they are found in Wessex, Bedfordshire, north-east Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Wolds, and Cumbria (Figure 3). In Wessex, the main distribution covers an area of over 4000 square kilometres beginning east of the River Stour in Dorset and extending into Wiltshire and Hampshire west of the River Meon, and Berkshire south of the White Horse Scarp. In Bedfordshire linear boundaries have been noted along the Chiltern Escarpment between Luton and Royston (Dyer 1961), and in Yorkshire they are found in the north east, on the Hambleton Hills, Levisham and Lockton Moors and the Tabular Hills, and on the Yorkshire Wolds, especially along their northern edge. In Cumbria they are found in the north of the county, the Eden Valley and on the limestone plateau between the upper waters of the Eden and the Lune. The lack of boundaries from outside these areas may reflect inconsistent fieldwork rather than a total absence of these features.
