Archaeology Notes

Event ID 701847

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/701847

NS40NE 2 4821 0608 to 4890 0597.

(NS 4821 0608 - NS 4890 0597) Pickan's Dyke (NR)

OS 6" map (1938)

Pickan's Dyke (NAT)

OS 6" map (1958)

A small part of Pickan's Dyke can be traced on Mains Hill; it is said to run all the way to the Solway Firth.

J Smith 1895

Pickan's Dyke, an old land-boundary, runs E from near the E edge of the graveyard at Dalmellington up to the crest of Mains Hill, descending again to near the confluence of the Parrie Burn with the Muck Water (NS 486 054) and thus encloses an area on the right bank of the latter which measures about 1/2 mile in length by 1/4 mile. The bank stands to a height of about 2ft and is spread to a thickness of about 12ft. It appears to have a slight ditch on the S side.

A Graham and R W Feachem 1956

A slender turf bank, very low and considerably mutilated, up to 0.7m in height and 4.5m in width. The ditch referred to above is only visible for part of its length, as shown on OS 6" (1938).

Immediately N of the dyke and running almost parallel with it for some distance are some old field banks. This dyke may also be the remains of an old enclosure bank as similar short linear features exist in the neighbourhood.

From A to B (NS 4821 0608 to NS 4840 0613) it appears as a low, badly mutilated bank, with no traces of a ditch. At B, a shallow ditch appears and runs on the S of the low bank to C (NS 4865 0612) where both bank and ditch disappear. At D, (NS 4872 0608) the bank, low and spread, with a very vague ditch on the S, re-appears, diminishing gradually towards the SE and finally disppearing into moorland at E (NS 4890 0597).

Revised at 25".

Visited by OS (JLD) 16 July 1954

This boundary bank, which has now been effaced between NS 4824 0609 and NS 4829 0611, is of minor archaeological significance.

Visited by OS (MJF) 18 September 1980