Initial visit report
Long Scar Dyke, near Reeth, is part of the Grinton series of earthworks, which includes Maiden Castle and the dykes at Grinton, Fremington, Reeth and Harker mires, as well as many other Iron Age features in the area. This initial site visit report is part of ongoing research into the Grinton earthworks aimed at understanding their original purpose.
Long Scar dyke, as it is commonly known, is an earthwork rampart which stretches for over a kilometer running broadly north-south. On it's eastern side is a reasonably large ditch, measuring in places 2-4m deep and 6-9m wide. On the western side is the rampart itself, which towers up to 10m above the outer ditch and was obviously built as a very significant dry stone wall. This manner of construction sets it apart from the other dykes in the series and by this nature has a much closer affinity with Maiden Castle, just a kilometer to the north.
The dyke, is different to that indicated on the OS maps, and an extension to the north works with the escarpment of the northern slope of High Harker hill to create a fortification which encloses at least two thirds of this large upland plateau (not all of the earthworks surveyed).
From first indications it would appear that this "earthwork" shares it's lineage with Maiden Castle, and may represent a much larger fortified enclosure, linked to the settlements that were clearly thick on the ground around here during the iron age. The difference in construction between this and the other dykes would indicate in the least that this construction is a lot older than the other earthworks in the series, and could well mean that Maiden Castle was actually a "perimeter camp" to a much larger fortification.
Also of note, and perhaps a telling reason for the extensive nature of the Iron Age community at Grinton, were signs that this site is possibly linked with ore extraction - close to and within the earthworks are two long ditches, one which terminates in a much larger round ditch, may well be early smelting "boles".
Second Visit
A follow up visit in part confirmed the suspicion that the Long Scar Dyke may in fact have been one side of a very large defended enclosure. On the first visit, the northern extension was noted, which effectively linked the natural escarpment of the northern face of Harker Hill to the northern extremety of Long Scar Dyke. On the return visit, Long Scar Dyke was followed to it's southern extent to see if further use of natural defences could be used to create a defended enclosure, rather than a simple dyke.
Before the dyke had completed it's length, in was noted that a beck which runs westwards from the dyke had a particularly deep cutting, and other signs of banking, which were apparently interupted by later minworkings could have acted to help complete a circuit of Harker Hill. Unfortunately, these later mineworkings became extremely intrusive and effectively would have destroyed any earlier works.
A possible Roman road was also located close by.
The area enclosed by Long Scar Dyke - Visible earthworks in Black and conjectured defences in pink, the conjected defences comprise of the natural escarpment, streams and most controversially, area's that could be interpreted as later mining hush's. The most southern section was surveyed only as for as the nearest gouse but.
© Brigantes Nation 2002