Devil's Dyke, Cambridgeshire facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 98 acres (39.8 hectares) |
| Notification | 1984 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
The Devil's Dyke, also known as Devil's Ditch, is a very old earth wall in eastern Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Experts believe it was built by the Anglo-Saxons long ago.
Today, this ancient barrier is also a special place for nature. It's a 98-acre (39.8-hectare) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, which means it's protected for its important plants and animals. It's also a Special Area of Conservation and a Scheduled monument, showing its historical importance.
The Devil's Dyke runs in a mostly straight line. It stretches from Woodditton, which is south of Newmarket, all the way to Reach, north-west of Newmarket.
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What is the Devil's Dyke?
The Devil's Dyke is over 7 miles (11 km) long. It is the biggest of several ancient earth walls in Cambridgeshire. In some places, the wall is about 9 meters (30 feet) high. It can be as wide as 36.5 meters (120 feet) across.
The highest part of the dyke is at Gallows Hill. Here, it measures 10.5 meters (34 feet) from the bottom of its ditch to the top of the earth wall.
Over time, modern roads and a railway line have been built through the dyke. This includes parts of the A14 and A11 roads. A branch of the Ipswich to Ely rail line also cuts through it.
From the village of Reach, the dyke crosses open farmland. It then runs along the edge of the July Course at Newmarket Racecourse. After that, it goes through the woods of a private estate near Woodditton.
The Rowley Mile course at Newmarket is interesting because races can start in one county (Cambridgeshire) and finish in another (Suffolk). The dyke crosses this course where it has been flattened out.
Why was the Devil's Dyke built?
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The Devil's Dyke is the largest of several earthworks in southern Cambridgeshire. These earthworks were likely built for two main reasons:
- To mark boundaries between different areas.
- To control movement along old pathways like Ashwell Street and the Icknield Way.
When the dyke was first built, it completely blocked a narrow strip of land. This land was between a large area of wet marsh (now called The Fens) to the north-west and thick woodlands to the south. This made it very hard for anyone to go around the dyke. It created a strong defensive barrier for the lands to the east.
The dyke might also have been used to control trade and how people moved in and out of the area. Some findings suggest that the dyke was not used for very long after it was built.
Other similar earthworks in Cambridgeshire include Fleam Dyke, Brent Ditch, and Bran Ditch. There is also Black Ditches, Cavenham in Suffolk, which also guarded the Icknield Way.
What's in a name?
The name "Devil's Ditch" or "Devil's Dyke" is quite new. It only started being used after the Middle Ages. In medieval times, people simply called it the dic, meaning "the ditch". They also used names like le Micheldyche or magnum fossatum, which both mean "great ditch".
Who wrote about the dyke?
People have written about this earthwork since Anglo-Saxon times. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a very old historical record, might mention the Devil's Dyke. In the year 905, it talks about Edward the Elder fighting the Danes of East Anglia. It says he "laid waste their land between the Dyke and the Ouse as far northward as the Fens."
Later, in the late 900s, a writer named Abbo of Fleury described East Anglia. He said it was "fortified in the front with a bank or rampier like unto a huge wall, and with a trench or ditch below in the ground." This sounds a lot like the Devil's Dyke.
What lives on the Devil's Dyke?
The Devil's Dyke is home to many different plants. It has large areas of chalk grassland, which is a special type of grassland found on chalky soil. You can also find areas of woodland and chalk scrub (small bushes).
Some unusual plants grow here, such as:
- Purple milk-vetch
- Bastard toadflax
- Pasque flowers
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Devil's Dyke (Cambridgeshire) para niños
