A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
Deil's or Picts' Dyke, a long line of ancient fortification in Galloway and Dumfriesshire, commencing at Loch Ryan near Innermessan, the site of the ancient Rerigoninm, a town of the Novantæ, and extending, by way of Minnigaff, Glencairn, Penpont, and Lochmaben, to the upper part of the Solway Firth at a point opposite the western extremity of the Roman wall of Hadrian across the N of England. It is now quite obliterated in many parts, and more or less obscure in many others, but still in some is very distinct. It appears to have been invariably 8 feet broad at the base, to have had a fosse along its N or inland side, and to have been built, in most places, of unchiselled blocks of common moorstone; in others, of stone and earth commingled; and in a few, as at Hightae Flow in Lochmaben parish, entirely of earth. It separates the fertile lands of the seaboard districts from the irreclaimable wastes and wild fastnesses of the mountains, and may be presumed to have been built by an industrious or comparatively settled people on its southern, as a defence against a warlike or comparatively roving people on its northern, side. All facts respecting it, however, even all trustworthy traditions, have been lost. Chalmers, the author of Caledonia, says, in a letter to Mr Joseph Train, who traced the Deil's Dyke from end to end:-'Considering all its circumstances, it is extremely difficult to assign its age, its object, or its builders. In Ireland there is nothing like the Deil's
Dike; the inference is that it was not made by Irish hands. I am disposed to think that this work is several centuries older than the arrival of the Irish Cruithne in Galloway.' And again:-'It is obviously a very ancient work, and was probably formed by the Romanised Britons after the departure of the Roman armies.'-Ord. Sur., shs. 3,4,8,9,10,6,1856-64.
(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)
| Linked entities: | |
|---|---|
| Feature Description: | "a long line of ancient fortification" (ADL Feature Type: "fortifications") |
| Administrative units: | Dumfries Shire ScoCnty |
| Place names: | DEILS | DEILS OR PICTS DYKE | PICTS DYKE |
Pages for linked administrative units may contain historical statistics and information on boundaries.