Bokerley Dyke

Nearest town:
Wilton (13km NNE)
OS reference:
SU035200
OS sheet:
184
Latitude:
50° 58' 43.73 N
Longitude:
1° 57' 0.5 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Bokerley Dyke by GLADMAN

Another view of the unusual feature at SU038196. The tangential bank of the Dyke can just be discerned beyond.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 11, 2011
Image of Bokerley Dyke by GLADMAN

An unusual feature abutting the western flank of the Dyke at approx SU038196. Could this have been a further long barrow?

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 11, 2011
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

Looking across Martin Down from the top of the dyke.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 23/06/07
formicaant
formicaant Mar 14, 2010
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The bank and ditch, close to the road where it is at its slightest.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 23/06/07
formicaant
formicaant Mar 14, 2010
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The central part of the ditch as it crosses Martin Down.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 23/06/07
formicaant
formicaant Mar 14, 2010
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The main, southern part of the dyke as it snakes its way up Blagdon hill.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 23/06/07
formicaant
formicaant Mar 14, 2010
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The northern part of the dyke, this is not far from the main road.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 23/06/07
formicaant
formicaant Mar 14, 2010
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The bank of the dyke as it curves across Martin down.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 17/09/2007.
formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

Looking up Blagdon hill with the dyke cutting through it, to the right is Grim’s ditch on the Dorset side of the dyke.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 17/09/2007.
formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

The more easterly of two barrows next to Bokerley.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 17/09/2007.
formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

Round barrow next to the dyke, one of a pair.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 17/09/2007.
formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007
Image of Bokerley Dyke by formicaant

This view is on Blagdon hill, it shows the meeting of Grim’s ditch with the dyke.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 17/09/2007.
formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007
Image of Bokerley Dyke by jimit

Looking NW with Hants on Right, Dorset on Left over bank and Wilts by trees in background.

Image credit: Jimit 11.03
jimit
jimit Dec 2, 2003

Articles

Bokerley Dyke

formicaant
formicaant Sep 17, 2007

Another visit to this varied site which is still the border between Hampshire and Dorset. This time I was interested in the southern end around Blagdon hill and the junction with Grim’s ditch. At this point there are two pairs of round barrows either side of the dyke.
It is here that Bokerley is at its most impressive, the bank and ditch are at their highest and deepest at this place. This would be a major civil engineering feat now and must have taken huge effort in pre-history. In length it is the equivalent of several large hillforts. It enabled the romanised tribe of Dorset to remain largely untouched by the post roman saxon invaders until about 700 c.e.

Bokerley Dyke

jimit
jimit Nov 15, 2003

What a busy little bit of Hampshire this is! The Counties of Dorset and Wiltshire meet, the Dorset Cursus approaches from the SW,the Ditch(Dyke?) forms the boundary in association with Grim’s Ditch, a Long Barrow, tumuli and enclosures and a finely prominent aggar of the Roman Road.
A short walk SE shows that the earthwork is still very well defined and preserved, on the NE(Hants) side a deep ditch, on the SW(Dorset) side a smallish bank, Which was the defended side? Grim’s Ditch marks the boundary of a vast Bronze Age ranch so it would be nice to know which earthwork came first.

Disabled: Difficult from where I parked in the lay-by on the A354. However, my old map didn’t show the new parking area shown on Streetmap. Where I walked was flat but bumpy.

Miscellaneous

Bokerley Dyke
Dyke
formicaant
formicaant Dec 31, 2007

The dyke as it stands in its current form is a Romano-Britsh defensive earthwork. However H.C. Bowen in the excellent book “The Archaeology of Bokerley Dyke” gives a good argument for a much earlier origin. He argues that in the Bronze age the dyke was a cultural boundary which can be shown by the differences between types of round barrow which only occur either side of the ditch.
The bronze age date has also been partially confirmed by excavated finds, the similarity of Neolithic long barrows on both sides of the dyke show no significant difference in typology / culture at that time. There are problems with finds because of the confused stratigraphy caused by the different stages in the developement of the dyke. It was greatly deepened and heightened at a later stage of its history.

Miscellaneous

Bokerley Dyke
Dyke
formicaant
formicaant Mar 13, 2007

This snake like ditch and bank marks the border of Durotrigian territory from that of their tribal neighbours the Belgae. It can be traced for c. 5 km. on O.S. Explorer 118. It can be followed on foot for most of its length. To the west of it can be seen a long barrow,about 50m. in length, this is itself only about 50m. south of the end of the Dorset Cursus. It is reckoned pre-Roman in origin, re-built and strengthened after the Romans left. There is what appears to be a very well preserved earthwork at right angles to it on the eastern side, don’t be fooled it’s a 20th century rifle range.

Miscellaneous

Bokerley Dyke
Dyke
pure joy
pure joy Jul 26, 2003

The excellent ‘Hampshire Treasures’ resource suggests that only a small part of this exists in this area, but more exists if you go south east. If you follow the map west even the ‘course of’ peters out pretty quickly (unlike the nearby Grim’s Ditch). The resource says “Celtic Field Boundary Lines – SU036197 – Iron Age – North east of Bokerley Gap. Ditch 10.0 m. in width. Only 300 m. now survive” – then it gives more info elsewhere “Bokerley Dyke. SU032198. Scheduled Ancient Monumnet, no.261. A defensive work. Bears a close resemblance to Grim’s Ditch but is of modest dimensions in this area, until it reaches Blagdon Hill.”

Blagdon Hill is presumably the Hill around SU055176 (2-3km to the south West)

Topics

Bokerley Dyke and the Cursus 1
P
pastseeker
Sep 2003

Sites within 20km of Bokerley Dyke

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