Hatterrall Hill Cross Ridge Dyke

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises a linear bank and ditch running across an upland ridge. The dyke consists of a prominent stone bank, 1-1.5m in height, but with no visible trace of a ditch, crossing the flat ridge at Hatterrall Hill from NW to SE. It is 170m long on ground that slopes down on either side from the high mid point. A well-worn track runs through the dyke at the highest point, which may indicate the location of an original entranceway. At the NW end the bank is disturbed by an area of quarrying that post-dates the construction of the dyke. The tradition of cross ridge dyke building appears to roughly span a millennium, beginning in the middle Bronze Age and lasting throughout the Iron Age (although perhaps with reuse and perhaps limited construction in the medieval period). They have been interpreted as territorial boundaries, defining areas of political influence (including internal territorial boundaries and land allotment within communities) and perhaps have ritual associations.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric land division and perhaps ritual practices. The monument is an important relic of a prehistoric landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of environmental and structural evidence.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.