Nico Ditch: A Review of its Form, Function, and Date

What is it about?

Nico Ditch is an enigmatic curvilinear earthwork, the core of which runs for c. 8km across the southern part of the City of Manchester from Hough Moss to Ashton Moss. Although much of its length was built over during the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries, where it survives as an earthwork it comprises a U-shaped ditch 2m to 3m wide and 1.5m to 2m deep, with possibly a low bank on its northern side. This article reviews research into the origins, form, and function of Nico Ditch, drawing on over 140 years of study, as well as discussing grey literature archaeological fieldwork from the 1990s and 2000s.

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Why is it important?

It is argued that the line of Nico Ditch extended further west of Hogh Moss into Streford. This longer monument strengthens the argument that the ditch dates from the early medieval period