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Wansdyke

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Wansdyke (from Wodin's Dyke) is a mediaeval defensive linear earthwork in the West Country of England, consisting of a ditch and a running embankment from the spoil. It runs from Maes Knoll, a hillfort close to Norton Malreward, in the Chew Valley south of Bristol, to the Savernake Forest near Marlborough in Wiltshire. Its origins are unclear, but archaeological data show that it was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. It consists of three parts 14, 22 and 19 km long. East Wansdyke in Somerset has been less disturbed by later agriculture and building, and remains more clearly traceable on the ground.

The dyke gave its name to the former Wansdyke district and also to the Wansdyke constituency.

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