Grim's Ditch

click Families for other local families

click Dennis Claydon for more about Dennis

click Kelloway for others in this family

also click Pre-History of Lacey Green by Ian Kelloway (click Ian & Sue Kelloway) for more abut Ian

Trial excavation 2002 on land next to Kiln Barn. Photo clearly showing the geologcal makeup. The dark strip of topsoil overlays a deep seam of clay, backfill from the days of brickmaking. An ever deepening layer of 'flint rubble' running n.w to s.e indicates the former lie of the ditch. Soil samples were sent for evaluation. A sample gained from an auger hole at 1.71-1.77 metres sent for analysis proved rich in well preserved pollen and spores.

Obtaining soil sample by auger, with the aid of an excavater.

Research by Dennis Claydon. Taken from the booklet "Tarmac and Beyond" for which click Kiln Lane.

The village of Lacey Green, south-east of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, is situated high in the Chiltern Hills, overlooking the Vale of Aylesbury. Kiln Lane lies towards the south-eastern outskirts of the village. From its junction with Main Road, this unpretentious lane heads north-eastwards, soon leaving the confines of the village, thence curving down into a deep narrow valley and continuing eastwards, towards Speen.

Undoubtedly, the oldest feature of Kiln Lane is Grim's Ditch, an ancient earthwork, consisting of an earthen bank and ditch. The name is derived from folklore, which attributed any mysterious earthwork to the Devil, sometimes known as Grim, hence Grim's Ditch.

It can be traced at intervals, for sixteen miles across the Chilterns, running south-west to north-east, from Bradenham to Berkhamsted.

One writer refers to the earthwork as ‘a silent serpent of antiquity’, its origins being obscure. However, archaeologists generally agree it is of a non-defensive nature, probably a division between upland and lowland pasture or a tribal boundary. There have been some differences of opinion about the age of the earthwork. Some historians considered it belonged to the Anglo-Saxon era, whilst others favoured an Iron Age origin.

In 1992 this controversy was finally resolved. During construction of the A41 bypass, between Tring and the M25, Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust took the opportunity to research twelve sites. As a result, conclusive evidence was discovered which dated the Ditch to the early or middle Iron Age, around 400 BC. This makes the ditch one of the most important prehistoric works in Buckinghamshire.

Grim's Ditch approaches Lacey Green from the south-east, stopping short at the southern end of the village. After a five hundred-metre break, the earthwork re-emerges again in Kiln Lane, heading in a north-easterly direction, having turned almost at right angles. The Kiln Lane section is located just outside of the curtilage of the village. Lying to the east of the Lane, there is evidence of its course passing through the gardens of two properties and adjacent pastureland. The Ditch continues beside Bridleway L21, which descends steeply into a valley. Crossing Kiln Lane on the valley floor, the earthwork continues north-eastwards, by bridleway and public footpath, enroute to Great Hampden. This two and a half mile stretch is the longest complete section in the Chilterns.

The Ordnance Survey map reveals the earthwork turning at right angles in Lacey Green and again in the vicinity of Great Hampden. Whether this is due to the lie of the land, or for some other reason, is uncertain. The village of Speen, lying to the south-east, is thus embraced on three sides by the earthwork. This has given rise to a theory that the village may mark the site of an ancient settlement. The theory, however, is very difficult to prove and must remain a matter of conjecture.

Is the gap in Grim's Ditch in Lacey Green genuine? Did the community of Lacey Green become established in this gap? Was this an entrance into the inner confines of the earthwork? If not, can the course of the earthwork be traced, since it is no longer visible on the ground? In an effort to answer some of these questions a geophysical survey was carried out on two sites in 1999. One site was north of St. John's Primary School, the second just south of Kiln Lane, adjacent to Stocken Farm.

The Lacey Green School survey area produced somewhat negative results. There were some indications of a former structure, plus a number of large pits up to five metres across. The Stocken Farm site, however, was more positive with evidence of an interrupted linear feature, possibly a six metre wide ditch with a bank to the north of this. This ditch aligned with the closest extant sections of Grim's Ditch in Kiln Lane, to the north-east. The results of the survey indicate the monument probably extended at least as far south-west as Main Road. It is suggested, therefore, that the gap is probably a genuine one. Another theory, which cannot be proven, is that the course of the Ditch continued along the present route of Main Road, linking with the section at the southern end of the village.

Additional evidence suggests brick making may have played a part in the destruction of the Ditch in the Kiln Lane area. This will be dealt with in a later chapter. Whatever the purpose of the Ditch, the sections visible today are but a shadow of their former appearance. Indications suggest the project was well planned and the route surveyed. This is evident from the fact that the Ditch lies about half a mile back from the escarpment edge throughout its entire length. It was certainly a massive undertaking and the work of many hands and resources. Perhaps Iron Age man was the first to set foot in ‘Kiln Lane’? Other sections of Grim's Ditch occur in Oxfordshire, but it is uncertain if these form part of the same work.

PS. Today the Ditch is protected as an Ancient Monument, under the care of the Department of the Environment. Owners of the land over which the land passes are periodically reminded that it is not to be evelled, filled in or otherwise destroyed and inspections take place from time to time.