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 particularly well preserved section of Offa's Dyke, the 8th century Mercian boundary bank, standing up to 3.5m high in places and with a pronounced ditch and counterscarp bank (a small bank on the other side of the ditch).

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• 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
• ESA954 - 1980 recording of section of Offa's Dyke at Spring Hill Farm, Newcastle-on-Clun by Shropshire County Council SMR

Description

Scheduling of Scheduled Monument Salop 80 revised in 2004. Part of Salop 80 forms this new Scheduled section. Scheduling description: ->

-> 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 post, stiles, gates, road and track surfaces are excluded from the Scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included. <1>

A section across Offa's dyke was recorded at Spring Hill Farm, after it had been exposed as a result of "cutting down" an existing roadway to improve tractor access. <2>

Sources

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