Offa's Dyke: section 400m south west of Springhill Farm

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 400m south west of Springhill Farm survives particularly well, with the bank standing up to 3.5m high in places. The varied form of the earthworks throughout this section will provide insight into its construction and the technical skills of the people who built it. Artefactual evidence will also provide information about the changing use of the monument. In addition, environmental evidence such as pollen and seeds preserved within the fill of the ditch and the buried ground surface beneath the bank will provide evidence for the landscape and farming practices at the time the Dyke was built.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a section of the linear boundary known as Offa's Dyke, 400m south west of Springhill Farm. Offa's Dyke generally consists of a bank, up to 3.5m high, with an intermittent parallel ditch and quarry pits in places. It was strengthened in some areas by additional earthworks, namely a berm between the bank and ditch and a counterscarp bank on the outer lip of the ditch. In this section the Dyke runs southward for some 770m down into a shallow valley, 400m south of Springhill Farm, and across a higher plateau to a second shallow valley where it ends on the north bank of a brook. Throughout this section, the condition of the remains is particularly good with the bank standing up to 3.5m high in places and a strong V-cut ditch and pronounced counterscarp bank surviving. The brook at the southern end has removed 15m of the remains and this area is not, therefore, included in the scheduling. Four gaps across the earthworks provide access for vehicles, but the bank and ditch will survive here as buried features beneath the track surfaces and these gaps are, therefore, included in the scheduling. Further sections of Offa's Dyke approximately 20m to the north and 15m to the south are the subject of separate schedulings. All fence posts, stiles, gates, road and track surfaces 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

32601

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Kay, K, Richards, , Offa's Dyke Path North, (1995), 18

End of official list entry

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