Monument record MDR2355 - Grey Ditch, easternmost section on Rebellion Knoll, Bradwell

SK 1828 8121 = SK 1817 8127: Bradwell, Grey Ditch: The easternmost section of the earthwork and the best preserved. It survives to a height of 2.5m compared with 1.6m elsewhere. The terminal appears to be original as does an apparent entrance through the earthwork. (1) In 1967 a section was cut mechanically through the Grey Ditch on the eastern ridge where it is best preserved. This showed the rampart to consist simply of upcast from the ditch. There are possible traces of a rough stone revetment at front and rear, but there is no berm. At the highest point of the Grey Ditch on this ridge there is a gap in the rampart and ditch system wide enough to allow a wagon to pass through. Excavation at this point revealed no sign of timberwork or of any additional protection at the entrance, but suggested nevertheless that it was an ancient gateway. No dating evidence came to light. (2) On Rebellion Knoll, Grey Ditch straddles a ridge of gritstone and shales at 340m OD. Here the earthwork is a cross-ridge dyke, ending where the ground falls steeply to either side, into the blind valley of Over Dale on the east, down towards Bradwell Brook on the west. (3)