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: The earthworks and buried remains of a 520m long section of Offa's Dyke, 380m west of Pottery Cottages to the north of Trefonen.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA8295 - 2017 WB on installation of new path furniture, Offa's Dyke, Vron Farm, Trefonen by SCAS
• ESA9067 - 2019 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England

Description

In September 2014, the scheduling of two sections of Offa's Dyke near Trefonen was radically reconfigured.The section of the former scheduled section Salop 238 (NHLE 1006262) south of Chapel Lane, Trefonen, was extended southwards. The two other sections, north of Chapel Lane, were transferred to the former section Salop 88 (NHLE 1004767). The Notification Report included this description for the revised NHLE 1004767.
The section of Dyke which runs southwards for approximately 520m from a road running west to east passing Pentre-shannel Farm, to the point where the Dyke is crossed by Chapel Lane to the north of Trefonen. At its northern end, for the first 130m, the bank has been reduced slightly by ploughing, particularly on its western side but survives as a low-profiled bank. The ditch, although largely infilled, remains visible as a slight depression. South of this section is an approximately 300m length where the earthworks of the bank, the counterscarp bank and the ditch are well preserved. Beyond this, is a 100m long section of the Dyke where the bank has been lowered by ploughing and cut by a lane but there are traces of a shallow ditch and the counterscarp bank on the west side. To the south of the lane, as far as Chapel Lane, the bank has a lowered profile and the ditch is visible as a shallow depression. At the southern end of this section of the Dyke the earthworks have been removed by the road (Chapel Lane) which runs from Fron to Trefonen. <1>

In 2017, a watching brief was carried out during the installation of new path furniture at Vron Farm, Trefonen (centered on SJ 2585 2722). A loose brown sandy loam was recorded, underlying topsoil. This may have been re-deposited subsoil forming part of the bank itself. <2>

Condition photograph, centred on SJ 25779 27536, taken 06/02/2019, looking N. <3>

The section of Offa's Dyke described in this record is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs and has been mapped by RCHME's Marches Uplands Mapping Project. <4><4a>

Sources

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