Dry Stone Walls

Some dry-stone wall constructions in North-West Europe have been dated back to the neolithic. Many cornish hedges are believed to date from 4000BCE, although there appears to be little dating evidence. In County Mayo, Ireland, an entire field system made from dry-stone walls, since covered in peat, have been carbon-dated to 3800BCE.

There are several methods of constructing dykes, depending on the quantity and type of stones available. Most dykes are constructed from stones and boulders cleared from the fields during preparation for agriculture. In areas where stones are plentiful, double wall dykes are preferred but where stones are scarcer, single wall dykes may be made. If the area contains boulders, boulder dykes will often be constructed. Boulder dykes are a type of single wall dyke in which the bottom row consists of boulders, upon and around which smaller stones are placed.

A double wall dyke may be constructed by placing two rows of stones along the boundary to be walled. The rows are basically large flattish stones. Smaller stones may be used as chocks in areas where the natural stone shape is more rounded. The walls are built up to the desired height layer by layer, and at intervals, large tie-stones are placed which span both walls. These have the effect of bonding what would otherwise be two thin walls leaning against each other and greatly increase the strength of the dyke. The final layer on the top of the dyke also consists of large stones, called cap stones. Like the tie stones, the cap stones span the entire width of the dyke and prevent it breaking apart.

Single wall dykes work best with flatter stones. Ideally, the largest stones are be placed at the bottom and the whole wall tapers towards the top. Sometimes a row of capstones completes the top of a wall, with the long rectangular side of each capstone perpendicular to the wall alignment.

Another variation is the "Cornish Hedge", which is a stone-clad earth bank topped by turf, scrub or trees, and characterised by a strict inwards-curved batter (the slope of the 'hedge'). As with many other varieties of wall, the height is the same as the width of the base, and the top is half the base width.

Different regions have made minor modifications to the general method of construction - sometimes because of limitations of building material available, but also to create a look that is distinct to that area. Whichever method is used to build a dyke, considerable skill is required. Selection of the correct stone for every position in the dyke makes an enormous difference to the lifetime of the finished product, and a skilled dyker will take time over the selection.

As with many older crafts, skilled dykers today are few in number. With the advent of modern wire fencing, fields can be fenced with much less time and expense using wire than using stone dykes. However the initial expense of building dykes is offset by their sturdiness and consequent long, low-maintenance lifetimes. As a result dykers remain in demand, as do the dykes themselves