Barons Dyke
Has been described as a Possible Linear Defence or Dyke
There are earthwork remains
| Name | Barons Dyke |
| Alternative Names | Bishops Dyke; Bar Dyke; White Moss |
| Historic Country | Cumberland |
| Modern Authority | Cumbria |
| 1974 Authority | Cumbria |
| Civil Parish | Irthington |
The Bishop's or Baron's Dyke is a Medieval boundary, separating the baronry of Gilsland from the Bishop's Manor of Crosby. It was called the Bishop's Dyke in (a perambulation) of 1603; locally it is known as the Bar Dyke. The dike appears to run from the Roman Road (presumably that along the Wall) near Highfield Moor House (NY459613) to Newby (NY475583), a distance of about 2 miles. The dike consisted of two parallel banks, 30 ft apart overall, which appear to have been formed by earth thrown out of two central ditches, with a strip of original surface between them. There are indications that earth may also have been thrown up from the outside. Hodgson suggests that the dike was modelled on the Vallum, but on a smaller scale, and without the one central ditch. Near the wall the Dyke is not very noticeable, and for most of its course it has been destroyed, but about 1 - 1/2 miles south of the wall, not far from Newby, for some three or four hundred yards, it is in a fairly good state of preservation. (PastScape)
Not scheduled
Not Listed
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
| OS Map Grid Reference | NY473587 |
| Latitude | 54.920539855957 |
| Longitude | -2.82304000854492 |
| Eastings | 347300 |
| Northings | 558700 |
