Monument Type(s):

• BOUNDARY BANK (Early Saxon to Mid Saxon - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• DYKE (DEFENCE) (Early Saxon to Mid Saxon - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• FRONTIER DEFENCE (Early Saxon to Mid Saxon - 410 AD to 800 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument: A well preserved section of Offa's Dyke, the 8th century Mercian boundary bank.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA6373 - 2009 WB on Offa's Dyke by SCAS
• ESA6588 - 2011 WB on Offa's Dyke, nr Newcastle on Clun by SCAS
• ESA7499 - 2015 WB on the installation of new path furniture at Offa's Dyke, Bryndrinog by SCAS
• ESA8162 - 2017 WB on installation of new path furniture on Offa's Dyke Path at Bridge Farm, Newcastle on Clun by SCAS
• ESA8532 - 2018 WB on installation of footpath furniture on Offa's Dyke Path at Lower Mount by SCAS (Ref: ODP18 LM)
• ESA8727 - 2018 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA8625 - 2014 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA8621 - 2015 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA8361 - 2016 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA8362 - 2017 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA8871 - 2019 WB on new footpath furniture on Offa's Dyke at Bryndrinog by SCAS
• ESA9450 - 2020 WB on land at Bryndrinog Cottage, Newcastle on Clun by Castlering Archaeology (Ref: 20/03749/FUL)

Description

Scheduling of section 175m east of Cefn Bronydd (formerly part of Salop 79, now 32599) revised in 2004. Scheduling description: ->

-> The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a section of the linear boundary known as Offa's Dyke 175m east of Cefn Bronydd. 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 edge of the ditch. ->

-> In this section the Dyke runs for 1.9km southwards from the stream at Lower Mount along the west shoulder of Graig Hill as far as the stream at Bryndrinog Farm. At the northern end, the bank is well-preserved for some 150m and defines the north bank of the stream, with the ditch serving as the streambed. The Dyke continues southwards where the profile of the remains is influenced by the hill slope. Here the bank is visible as a terrace jutting out from the hillside. The ditch to the west cuts into the hill, and a high counterscarp bank has been formed from the spoil cast up from this work. Towards the southern end of this section the ditch has been partly infilled by land slippage but will survive as a buried feature. There are three gaps in the defences, including a road junction 110m east of Wellfield, although the bank and ditch will survive as buried features and are, therefore, included in the scheduling. ->

-> Further sections of Offa's Dyke approximately 30m to the north and 250m to the south are the subject of separate schedulings. All fence posts, stiles, telegraph poles and road surfaces are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included <1>

A watching brief was carried out during the installation of new path furniture in 2009 along this stretch of Offa's Dyke, at Bryndrinog SO 256 826; no significant archaeological features or deposits were located in the excavations. <2>

In 2011 a watching brief was carried out on the installation of new path furniture at five sites along the Offa’s Dyke Path on Graig Hill, Newcastle-on-Clun, in southwest Shropshire. At two of the sites - Graig Hill B (ODP11 GHB; SO 2557 8339) and Graig Hill D (ODP11 GHD; SO 2559 8292) new post-holes were located on the bank element of the Dyke, represented by a layer of redeposited natural. At Graig Hill E (ODP11 GHE; SO 2559 8271) a brown sandy silty clay with pebbles may have represented bank material. <3>

A watching brief was undertaken on the excavation of 5 postholes for new path furniture on Offa's Dyke at Bryndrinog, Newcastle-on-Clun in 2015 (centred SO 2560 8260). No archaeological features or deposits were encountered. <4>

A watching brief was carried out on the installation of new path furniture on Offa's Dyke at Bridge Farm, Newcastle-on-Clun in 2017 (cented on SO 2589 8388). A thin topsoil overlay a deposit that may have been redeposited subsoil forming the remains of the dyke's bank. No other significant archaeological finds or deposits were encountered. <5>

This section of the dyke was photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <6>

A watching brief was undertaken at 3 locations along Offa's Dyke path at Lower Mount, Mardu, in 2018, in association with the installation of footpath furniture. These locations were closely spaced centered on SO 261 842. No archaeological features were observed. <7>

A watching brief was undertaken along Offa's Dyke path at Bryndrinog in 2018, in association with the installation of footpath furniture, centered on SO 2565 8246. No archaeological features were observed. <8>

An archaeological watching brief was maintained during ground disturbing works undertaken in association with the formation of a new parking area and service trenching at Bryndrinog Cottage. The excavations for the new access and parking to the northwest side of the cottage showed that this embanked area to the west of the alignment of Offa’s Dyke was a natural geological feature, which had been partially modified when the house was built. The removal of soil to the rear of the property, in the area believed to be part of the ditch and counterscarp embankment of the Dyke, revealed no evidence of archaeological features that may have been associated with Offa’s Dyke. The embankment to the rear of the house had clearly been cut into to create the house platform and modified to the rear of the house. The excavations cut into the stony, shaley clayey natural and, at this level, would have been well below the archaeological horizon of features associated with the Dyke. Within the limits of the excavations required for the parking area and services, no archaeological features were revealed and no finds recovered. <9>

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.