More information : [TA 213732-216694] Dane's Dyke [LB]. (1)
TA 215732 - 216693. The Danes Dyke was surveyed and recorded by RCHM
in August 1962. In profile and in siting the work is similar to the
only slightly smaller Aberford Dyke and to other Dark Age dykes. (2)
Correctly described and in good condition. Resurveyed and revised at
1:2500 from TA 216694 to TA 213711. (3)
Published survey (25") revised from TA 213711 TA 213732. (4)
Danes' Dyke. Account of excavation in October 1879 by Pitt-Rivers at
"a spot close to the Bempton-Flamborough Road, at which the stream
runs from the northward passes to the inside of the Dyke" (TA 213
712). 827 flints including Neolithic/Bronze Age worked flints were
found. The earthwork was "not later than the Bronze Age." (5)
Additional references. (6-7)
TA 2131 7323 to TA 2161 6918. The Danes' Dyke is thought to have been constructed in the Bronze Age along with other linear earthworks on the nearby Yorkshire Wolds. Its name, however, suggests a later date and it would seem likely that it was reused as a defensive earthwork both by Iron Age tribes and probably also at some point in the late 9th and 10th centuries AD. The dyke effectively cuts off the Flamborough peninsula, converting it into a promontory fort. The area thus enclosed, with sources of fresh water available, would have supported a sizeable community. Although the sections of the dyke across the peninsula abut each other, for purposes of clarity and administration, they have been defined as separate Schedulings:
TA 2131 7323 to TA 2132 7225. Northern section of the Danes' Dyke from Wold Farm field boundary to Bempton Cliffs. Scheduled RSM No 26509. Continuing N from the eastward bend in the monument by Wold Farm, the earthwork runs in a straight line due N, first as a double bank with ditch alongside, then as a single high bank around 3m high and a steep ditch around 2m deep with a V shaped cross-section which terminates on the cliffs at Dykes End. The monument has three further breaches in the bank and ditch, thought to be of recent date to facilitate access or drainage.
TA 2131 7226 to TA 2131 7115. Section of the Danes' Dyke from the B1229 north to Wold Farm field boundary. Scheduled RSM No 26508. The bank is around 3m high and the ditch over 2m deep and wet in parts. There are three gaps in the bank of uncertain origin, although probably post-dating the original use of the monument. The central gap has a slight eastward turn to the bank, paralleled by the ditch, and may be original. The gap at the northernmost point of this section, where the Wold Farm field boundary aligns on the more pronounced eastward bend of the dyke, has a second bank on the W side of the ditch and is thought to be a later reconstruction of the defences in antiquity.
TA 2131 7115 to TA 2143 7013. Section of the Danes' Dyke between the B1255 and B1229 roads. Scheduled RSM No 26507. Throughout most of this section the dyke has a single bank and ditch, although in places additional stretches of parallel bank and ditch also exist. Continuing N from the extreme suthernmost section, the monument continues as triple banks for a short distance, a feature thought to be indicative of the existence of an original entrance here, after which it reduces again to double banks. The earthen ramparts vary in height according to the immediate terrain, from around 3m to over 4m high on the E side to over 12m on the W side, where it is exaggerated by the presence of a ditch which continues to be wet in places. There are old gravel workings which have disrupted the system over a length of around 20m in this section. Northward to the B1229,
the system again becomes a single bank and ditch earthwork.
TA 2143 7013 to TA 2161 6918. Section of the Danes' Dyke between the Cliff Plantation and the B1255. Scheduled RSM No 26505. Throughout most of this section the dyke has a single bank and ditch, although in places additional stretches of parallel bank and ditch also exist. The dyke system appears to have an original rounded terminal to the E of the former Danes' Dyke house and at the head of the valley which runs S to the sea. Although this terminal appears original, the the E side of the valley further S was augmented by some form of rampart, building rubble from which has been recorded falling onto the beach from the S end of the valley. Field evidence suggests that this separate section of earthwork on the E side of the valley was of a slighter construction than the dyke sections further N. Where the valley and rampart diverge, the ditch varies from between 8m to 12m
wide. The bank is between 18m and 23m wide and has an average height of approximately 7m from the bottom of the ditch. The ditch is clearly visible in some places but has all but disappeared in others, for example where a paved road has been laid along its length. The bank and ditch system is interrupted by a number of gaps, which are most probably of recent construction. These cuttings afford a cross-sectional view of the bank, which is roughly triangular and constructed of chalk blocks or rubble, earth with the upper part of turves and a foundation of compacted stones. The dyke becomes a double bank with a second lower bank on the W side towards the N end of this section, where it is cut by the B1255. There is evidence of a further low arm of a bank, creating a triple defence, immediately S of this road cutting. (8)
The monument is also visible as earthworks on air photographs examined as part of the Rapid Coastal Assessment Survey of the Yorkshire and Humber Estuary. (9-10)
Linear earthwork from TA 2131 7323 to TA 2160 6919 cutting off the headland of Flamborough; it resembles other prehistoric linear earthworks, though it is likely to have been reused in later periods. Excavation in 1879 recovered Neolithic and Bronze Age flints only. Generally a single bank, with west ditch, but some stretches of double and occasional triple bank, perhaps marking entrances. The bank was constructed of chalk blocks and soil/turves, gaps in the defences probably post-date its initial use; others are more clearly recent. The surviving bank is often circa 3m high, with a 2m ditch. Scheduled Monument. (11)
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