Deil's Dyke, Pict's Dyke or Celt's Dyke[1][2] in south-west lowland Scotland is a linear earthwork that roughly follows the contours that divide upland pasture from lowland arable land, effectively acting like the head-dykes of medieval and later times although its true purpose has not been settled. The Deil's Dyke, sometimes written as 'dike', is formed from an earthen berm of rounded form that varies from 2.0-4.0m wide and a maximum of 0.7m high sometimes having a stone core. Where a fosse accompanies the bank it is usually an inconsequential 0.5m or so in width on average and around 0.4m deep, more often located on the uphill or outfield side. As a defensive structure the dyke has no obvious military value and its erratic route militates against it being a practical political boundary.[3]
The earthwork is not continuous however it is generally regarded as running from east of Afton Water (NS 6169 1142) near New Cumnock to Burnmouth (NS 8400 0500) in the parish of Durisdeer, having passed through the parishes of New Cumnock, Kirkconnel and Sanquhar.[3][4] A detached section ran from the site of the old Durisdeer Castle to the Kirk Burn above Durisdeer village, ending short of the Durisdeer Roman fortlet.[5] The dyke follows contours that lie typically from 500 to 900ft above sea level.[2]
History
In 1824 the Deil’s Dyke is first recorded in print by Chalmers in his ‘Caledonia’ where he credits Joseph Train, amongst others, for the description of what survived at the time and for recognising its significance, ambiguous as that remains. In 1841 a second report was published as an appendix in MacKenzie’s ‘History of Galloway’.[6]
Originally it was said to run from Loch Ryan to the shores of the inner Solway and was a boundary between the Picts and the Britons of Strathclyde with a defensive palisade, watchtowers and forts however this has been shown to be incorrect as a number of the linear features included were shown to be head-dykes and other unrelated landscape features.[7] A Dumfries and Galloway survey of 1956 proposed that the dyke runs along a 16 miles route from near Burnmouth Farm (NS 8400 0500), north of Enterkinfoot to Dalhanna Hill, New Cumnock, beside the Afton Water (NS 6169 1142), south-west of New Cumnock. This section is considered to have some credibility as a single structure constructed and planned through the control of a single controlling authority.[6][7]
Deer come to drink at sheltered water courses and elricks often started at such points so that the animals could be driven from that area along the route that would lead to their point of capture.
In 1981 a section was excavated and was shown to consist of an earth bank only, likely to have been constructed on one single occasion. The turves used in its construction were taken from either side giving a width of 4.5 feet (1.4m) at the base with a maximum original height estimated at around 6.5 feet (2m). although both late Iron Age and medieval dating evidence was found it was not conclusive.[6]
No one single feudal land holder is known to have controlled such a large area so its construction as an estate boundary is implausible, but a mediaeval head-dyke function or a deer hay wind function or a hunting forest demarcation fits the evidence better. It has been noted that a considerable number of similar earthworks exist in the vicinity of the dyke making interpretation a challenge.[6]
The name 'Deil's Dyke' or 'Devil's Dyke' is commonly associated in myth and legend with structures of this scale however it has also been noted that a name similar or identical to 'Deil's Dyke' can mean a 'march dyke'.[6]
Some of the gaps in the course of the dyke may be due to the historical presence of dense woodland.[8][9] Areas of once extensive woodland in Nithsdale are indicated on old maps such as in the 1660s when a Cashogill Wood (sic) is recorded near Enterkinfoot, extending at least as far as Kilbryd Kirk (sic).[10]
In the parish of Eskdalemuir are sections of another similar linear earthwork there known as the 'Deil's Jingle'.[2]
Function
Local tradition states that the dyke was used to hide cattle from raiders or to interfere with raiders returning with stolen sheep, cattle, horses and other goods, delaying them long enough for pursuers to catch up with them.[7]
The Glen of the Bar elrick in Galloway is a natural feature once utilised for red deer management.
In a number of places along its route it has been utilised and modified or possibly originally built as a head-dyke which physically separated the arable lower lying land from the upland pastures which were grazed by sheep and cattle which would have otherwise eaten any arable crops. The terms 'in-field' and 'out-field' are sometimes applied[12] and both are clearly marked on the landscape as green lush vegetation on lower lying land against the more complex colours of bare rock, heather, bracken, etc. on the moors or out-fields.[13] The development of field boundaries meant that head-dykes were no longer necessary and they fell out of use in the 18th and 19th centuries.[12]
The often erratic route may be explained by the need to enclose as much good quality arable land as possible.[3]
The dyke has also been proposed as a tribal territorial boundary or as a medieval land boundary however the irregular course of this linear feature makes this unlikely.[14]
The course of the Deil's Dyke is not noticeably associated with the many defensive features that exist in Nithsdale, such as Iron Age forts, medieval mottes, etc. although the linear earthwork near Durisdeer is linked with the site of the medieval castle.
The Catrail in Roxburghshire, southern Scotland, has a number of similarities with the Deil's Dyke and consists of a bank and a ditch and runs for 11.5mi (18.5km). It is considered to be a territorial land boundary dating from the Early Middle Ages and was once considered to link up with the Deil's Dyke.
Some deer hay winds or elricks may have consisted of banks and ditches several kilometres long that were used to direct deer for the purpose of capture[15] and the Deil's Dyke fits this description.[16] "Deer hunting has left physical traces on the landscape in the form of banks and dykes used either as park boundaries or for trapping the deer".[16]
The surveyed section of the New Cumnock to Durisdeer Parish route
In 1956 much of the route was walked and the following observations recorded[3] -
a. NS 8000 0591 to NS 8260 0515: In 1985 this section had been removed by ploughing and was indistinguishable in other sections. Ardoch Farm and the A76 lie to the east.
b. NS 8000 0591 to NS 8005 0595: In 1978 this length consisted of a stone and earth bank, 0.5m high and 4m wide.
c. NS 8020 0601: In 1978 this section had a bank that on the north or downhill side enclosed an area of rig and furrow and lies close to the Hawkcleuch Burn.
d. NS 8027 0602: In 1978 modern drains obscured the junction and the bank was 0.4m hugh and 2m wide.
e. NS 8030 0603 to NS 8037 0602: In 1978 on the steep burn side slope the dyke was mostly obscured.
f. NS 8037 0602 to NS 8050 0600: The route was not possible to follow. A 230 yard gap may have existed if the OS route is ignored.
g. NS 8050 0600 to NS 8087 0596: In 1978 this section was hard to follow with minimal evidence. The Cowan Burn lies near by.
h. NS 8089 0597: No evidence of the route remained.
i. NS 8093 0596 to NS 8216 0579: The Dyke ran from the Cowan Burn to the northern side of Giengenny Hill.
v. NS 8404 0526: The dyke is thought to have started on the left bank of the Burnsands Burn in the area of its confluence with the River Nith.[3]
Cartographic evidence and place names
In 1328 Durisdeer was recorded as Durrysder which in Gaelic may derive from dubhros 'a dark wood' and doire 'an oak copse', literally the "dark wood of the oak copse."[17] This description would be relevant in terms of the termination of a detached section of the Deil's Dyke in a wooded area.
As a common place name the name 'Deil' can mean the 'Devil' who together with the semi-mythological Picts were credited with building many unusual or megalithic structures; as previously stated it can also be a variant of a word meaning a march or head-dyke that divides or separate into one or more parts.[18][19] The term 'Pict's Dyke' is mainly applied in the parish of Sanquhar.[20]
Areas of once extensive woodland in Nithsdale indicated on old maps such as in the 1660s a Cashogill Wood (sic) is recorded near Enterkinfoot and extended as far as Kilbryd Kirk (sic).[21] A 'Priest Wood' is recorded on a map of 1832 lying below the old church.[22]
The March Cleugh is a small burn with a name meaning 'boundary' that flows from near Kirkbride Hill.[23]
A March House stands near the dyke at Burnmouth and the name 'Eliock' is given to the nearby wood.[24] The word 'Elerc' in Gaelic originally meant 'ambush' and later meant a 'deer trap' described as a funnel-like defile, artificial or natural into which deer were herded so that they could be contained and then killed. The personal or place name 'Elrick' is linked to such deer traps.[25][26] A section of the dyke here is recorded by the RCAHMS in 1920 as having a foundation of large stones that indicate a width of seven feet.
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It comprises the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire, the latter two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, 75 miles to the west on the North Channel coast.
Sanquhar is a village on the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, north of Thornhill and west of Moffat. It is a former Royal Burgh.
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of southern Scotland.
Kirkconnel is a small parish in Dumfries and Galloway, southwestern Scotland. It is located on the A76 near the head of Nithsdale. Principally it has been a sporting community. The name comes from The Church of Saint Conal. In 1850 the village had only a single street. Next to Kirkconnel is a separate village called Kelloholm.
The Catrail is a linear earthwork in Roxburghshire, southern Scotland. It runs from Robert's Linn, a burn (stream) flowing into the Slitrig Water, westward and north-westward to the head of the Dean Burn, a tributary of the Borthwick Water. It is about 11.5 mi (18.5 km) long, and consists of a ditch and bank. The Deil's Dyke was once considered to extend to the Catrail.
Devil's Dyke is the remains of a prehistoric defensive ditch which lies at the east side of the village of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England. It is protected as a Scheduled Monument. It is generally agreed to have been part of the defences of an Iron Age settlement belonging to the Catuvellauni tribe of Ancient Britain. It has possible associations with Julius Caesar's second invasion of Britain
Ayr is a burgh constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the town of Ayr in the council area of South Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the plurality electoral system. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region which elects seven additional members to the Scottish Parliament via a proportional electoral system known as the Additional Members System which allows for greater accuracy in representation for the region as a whole.
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, covering parts of the council areas of South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. Also, it is one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government.
Sanquhar Castle, now a ruin, was built in the 13th century; the ruins are situated north east of Dumfries overlooking the River Nith. Situated on the southern approach to the former royal burgh of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland, it sits on the trail of the Southern Upland Way. The castle is a stronghold bounded on the west by the River Nith, to the north by a burn, and made strong by a deep ditch running the remainder of the boundary.
New Cumnock is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It expanded during the coal-mining era from the late 18th century, and mining remained its key industry until its pits were shut in the 1960s. The town is 5+3⁄4 miles southeast of Cumnock, and 21 miles east of Ayr.
The Scots' Dike or dyke is a three and a half mile / 5.25 km long linear earthwork, constructed by the English and the Scots in the year 1552 to mark the division of the Debatable lands and thereby settle the exact boundary between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.
Durisdeer is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland, and in the historic county of Dumfries-shire. It lies 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Thornhill, above the Carron Water, a tributary of the Nith.
The Lowther Hills, also sometimes known as the Lowthers, are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, though some sub-ranges of hills in this area also go under their own local names - see "Hillwalking" below. They form a roughly rhomboidal or lozenge shape on the map with the acute angles being to north and south. It has river valleys along its boundaries to north east (Clydesdale) and south west (Nithsdale) which carry the two largest arterial routes northwards into the west side of the Central Belt of Scotland. A string of small towns have long since developed along these routes. Most of the Lowther Hills lie in the Administrative County of Dumfries and Galloway, though part in the administrative county of South Lanarkshire moves into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir.
The Carsphairn and Scaur Hills are the western and eastern hills respectively of a hill range in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Ordnance Survey maps don't have a general name for the hill area as a whole. Also, Ordnance Survey use "Scar" rather than the local spelling of "Scaur" - the word is pronounced as "Scar" however. In their Landranger Series of maps, it requires four separate sheets to cover the area.
The Blackcastle Rings are earthworks and a promontory fort in the Parish of Greenlaw, above the left bank of the Blackadder Water, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.
Loch Fergus is a freshwater post-glacial "Kettle Hole" sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low-lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowmanston in the Parish of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies to the north of Martnaham Loch, four miles east-southeast of Ayr. It drains to the southwest into the Snipe Loch.
A deer hay wind, deer fold or elrick is an artificial, natural or modified natural feature used in the culling, capture or management of deer in relation to deer parks or natural woodland and open countryside. These structures have existed for many centuries and after falling out of use and their function having been forgotten the more substantial earth or stone examples have attracted names such as Roman Trenches, Old Fortifications, etc. The hinds were the main target of the hunt.
Enterkinfoot is a small village or hamlet which lies 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Thornhill on the A76 on the route to Sanquhar, in Dumfriesshire, Durisdeer Parish, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Its original nucleus was the old mill with associated buildings, the school and the famous Enterkin Pass and path that followed the course of the Enterkin Glen to Wanlockhead and from there to Edinburgh. The site features the A76 that runs through the centre of Enterkinfoot, the River Nith and the Enterkin Burn that once powered the mill before joining the Nith. The area is famous for its association with the Covenanters.
Kirkbride, previously Kilbride was an ancient parish close to the village of Enterkinfoot, the lands of which lay on both sides of the River Nith in the old Strathnith area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about 5 miles south of Sanquhar and north of Closeburn. The parish was suppressed and divided between Durisdeer and Sanquhar parishes in 1732. The ruins of the kirk are a scheduled monument and the surrounding graveyard is a Category B listed building with the River Nith in the valley below. The Ha Cleuch Burn flows through the glen that lies to the east of the site with a lane reaching it that runs up from Enterkinfoot, ending at Coshogle Farm.
Chalmers, George (1824). Caledonia: Or, An Account, Historical and Topographic, of North Britain. London: T. Cadell.
Gilbert, J M. (1979). Hunting and hunting reserves in medieval Scotland. Edinburgh. RCAHMS Shelf Number: C.3.52.GIL
Hewison, James King (1912). Dumfriesshire - Cambridge County Geographies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jackson, Kenneth H. (1972). The Gaelic Notes in the Book of Deer. London: Cambridge University Press.
RCAHMS. (1920) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Seventh report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Dumfries. Edinburgh: HMSO.
Taylor, Simon (2009). Ayrshire Place-Names: a rich seam still to mine. Ayrshire Notes. No. 38. ANHS.
Wood, Rog (2010). Old Sanquhar Tales - A Collection of Folklore. Dumfries: Dumfries & Galloway Council. ISBN978-1-899316-74-8.
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