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Hill figure

Devil's Dyke

Near Brighton, West Sussex

A valley the Devil dug to drown the churches of the Weald.

Legend says the Devil, angered by all the churches in the Weald, began digging a trench through the South Downs to let the sea flood in. An old woman lit a candle, and a cockerel crowed, so the Devil thought dawn had come and fled, leaving the valley unfinished.

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When
Legend
Where
50.8850, -0.2100
Group
Hill figures & giants

Visiting

National Trust, with a car park, pub and walks.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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