Reasons for Designation
Offa's Dyke is the longest linear earthwork in Britain, approximately 220km,
running from Treuddyn, near Mold, to Sedbury on the Severn estuary. It was
constructed towards the end of the eighth century AD by the Mercian king Offa,
and is believed to have formed a long-lived territorial, and possibly
defensive, boundary between the Saxon kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh
kingdoms.
The Dyke is not continuous and consists of a number of discrete lengths
separated by gaps of up to 23km. It is clear from the nature of certain
sections that differences in the scale and character of adjoining portions
were the result of separate gangs being employed on different lengths. Where
possible, natural topographic features such as slopes or rivers were utilised,
and the form of Offa's Dyke is therefore clearly related to the topography.
Along most of its length it consists of a bank with a ditch to the west.
Excavation has indicated that at least some lengths of the bank had a vertical
outer face of either laid stonework or turf revetment. The ditch generally
seems to have been used to provide most of the bank material, although there
is also evidence in some locations of shallow quarries. In places, a berm
divides the bank and ditch, and a counterscarp bank may be present on the lip
of the ditch.
Offa's Dyke now survives in various states of preservation in the form of
earthworks and, where sections have been levelled and infilled, as buried
features. Although some sections of the frontier system no longer survive
visibly, sufficient evidence does exist for its position to be accurately
identified throughout most of its length. In view of its contribution towards
the study of early medieval territorial patterns, all sections of Offa's Dyke
exhibiting significant archaeological remains are considered worthy of
protection.
The section of Offa's Dyke in Church Grove, 240m south west of Ferney
Leaze, survives well. The bank will have preserved part of the original
ground surface, predating the construction of the monument and, along with
the quarries to the east, will contain environmental evidence in the form of
organic remains which will relate both to the Dyke and to the landscape
within which it was constructed. The bank will also contain evidence
relating to the methods of construction and the building materials used.
Details
The monument includes a section of the buried and earthwork remains of Offa's
Dyke, 240m south west of Ferney Leaze. Offa's Dyke generally consists of a
bank up to 3.5m high with an intermittent ditch to the west andquarry pits to
the east. In places Offa's Dyke was strengthened by additional earthworks,
namely a berm between the bank and ditch, and a counterscarp bank on the
western lip of the ditch.
In this 147m long section, the Dyke is visible as a bank, with a berm to
the west and quarry pits to the east. The bank is approximately 8m wide at its
base and stands to a height of 3m on its outer face and 0.5m on its inner
face. The berm, which is about 4m wide, is present on the western side of the
southern end of the monument and marks a deliberate break in slope at the foot
of the bank. To the east of the bank is a line of contiguous quarry pits
between 4m and 8m wide and up to 1m deep, from which material was excavated
during the construction of the monument. At the northern end of the section,
the Dyke has been badly damaged by more recent quarrying, and this area is
therefore not included in the scheduling.
All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
them is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
