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

• ESA8303 - 2001 Topographic survey for management purposes, Offa's Dyke, Llanfair Hill by CPAT
• ESA8372 - 2014 Conservation management plan for section of Offa's Dyke, Black Hall, Llanfair Waterdine, Shropshire by Shropshire Council HET
• ESA8625 - 2014 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA10316 - 2023 photographic record and WB on Offa's Dyke, Llanfair Hill by CPAT

Description

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

-> The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a section of the linear boundary known as Offa's Dyke on the western slope of Llanfair Hill, 1.4km south west of Burfield. ->

-> 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 and a counterscarp bank on the outer lip of the ditch. ->

-> In this section the Dyke runs south along the western side of Llanfair Hill for some 1.8km before terminating at the point where the bank is interrupted by a farm track at OS NGR SO25587840. At the northern end of this section, adjacent to a stream, the Dyke is obscured by a patch of marshy ground. Nevertheless the ditch is believed to survive as a buried feature and is included in the Scheduling. After running south for approximately 40m, the Dyke is interrupted by a 15m wide gap before continuing up the western flank of Llanfair Hill with a 3m high bank, well-defined ditch and counterscarp bank. On the eastern side of the bank are some shallow quarry pits from which material to build the Dyke was removed. The earthworks are visible for a further 1.1km beyond which the ditch is partly obscured by a metalled trackway joining it from the north and overlying the course of the ditch for 300m. However, the ditch will survive as a buried feature and is included in the Scheduling. The Dyke is visible for a further 400m to the point where a track crosses the remains. ->

-> Further sections of Offa's Dyke, approximately 10m to the north and immediately to the south, are the subject of separate Schedulings. All posts and stiles and the surface of the metalled trackway are excluded from the Scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included <1>

A programme of topographic survey was undertaken on a section of Offa's Dyke, Llanfair Hill, by CPAT in 2001. This was carried out to porivde baseline data for management purposes, under the Offa's Dyke Initiative. <2>

A conservation management plan was undertaken for a section of Offa's Dyke, at Black Hall, Llanfair Waterdine, which is covered by two schedulings. This provides an assessment of management history, condition trend and an understanding of the current management issues and threats. Part 2 provides a specification for works to be undertaken to ensure its long term future. ->

-> This section of the dyke was described in detail. In several places, dry stone walling was noted embedded in the western face of the earthwork bank. This appears to be part of the original construction and while this could have been a practical measure to stop slumping of the bank, it may have been faced in this way to consciously give a wall-like appearance. <3><3a>

Section of dyke photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <4><5><6><7>

Sources

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