Bokerley Dyke (or Bokerley Ditch) is a linear earthwork long in Hampshire, between

Woodyates Woodyates is a Hamlet (place), hamlet, sometimes considered a village, in the county of Dorset, near its border with Wiltshire, in the west of England. History The name means "wood gates" and is believed to refer to the position of Woodyates a ...

and Martin. It is a Scheduled Monument. It is also spelt Bokerly Dyke. Bokerley Dyke was excavated by Augustus Pitt Rivers between 1888 and 1891 and by Philip Rahtz in advance of road widening in 1958. Bokerley Dyke may have originated in the Bronze Age or Early Iron Age and formed a political and cultural boundary.Bokerley Dyke
, Pastscape It was cut through by a Roman Road (

Ackling Dyke Ackling Dyke is a section of Roman road in England which runs for southwest from Old Sarum (''Sorviodunum'') to the hill fort at Badbury Rings (''Vindocladia''). Part of the road on Oakley Down has been scheduled as an ancient monument. Much ...

running between Old Sarum and Badbury Rings) in the 1st century. In the 4th century it was remodelled and brought back into use, and excavations show that the Roman road was blocked.Bill Putnam, (2000), ''Discover Dorset: The Romans'', page 71. The Dovecote Press A coin of Valens dates this activity to shortly after 364 AD. It may have been built in 367-8 AD when Roman sources report that Britain was attacked by Picts, Scots and Saxons in a supposed Great Conspiracy. The Roman road was later reopened, but the dyke may have continued in use after the cessation of the Roman rule and still forms part of a boundary between the counties of Dorset and Hampshire. Bokerley Dyke runs through

Martin and Tidpit Downs Martin and Tidpit Downs is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Fordingbridge in Hampshire. Martin Down is a national nature reserve and an area of is a ''Nature Conservation Review'' site, Grade I. Bokerley Dyke, a p ...

, which is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, and it is continuous with Grim's Ditch.

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Further reading