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

• ESA6604 - 1922 Excavation of Offa's Dyke, Baker's Hill, Oswestry by Oswestry Prehistoric Society (Ref: Site 69)
• ESA9067 - 2019 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England
• ESA9837 - 2022 DBA and walkover survey of land at Cefn-y-Maes, Rhydycroesau by Archaeology Wales (Ref: 22/00350/FUL)

Description

Fine stretch of dyke with a well-defined ditch. Bank up to 10ft high to the base of ditch and 6ft to the E. Dyke bracken and small tree cover. Fields either side of the dyke are ploughed. <1>

Mortimer Wheeler reported on an excavation along this section of the Dyke in 1922, when a length of ditch was emptied of its silts in the area of SJ 25 31. Wheeler’s report in the 1923 Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies noted "A society known as the Oswestry Prehistoric Society, has been formed, largely on the initiative of Mr Northcote. W Thomas of Trefonen, near Oswestry, Lord Harlech is the first president. The society is established with the excellent purpose of exploring and surveying Offa’s Dyke. Some thirty yards of the ditch was excavated just south of a gap on Baker’s Hill (Shrop. Xi, E.E.) in lat. 52 degrees 52’32”, but the only finds were a flint chip, possibly artificial, and a fragment of thick, coarsely glazed pottery. Not much local support was forthcoming, and as it was desirable to arouse local interest, another item on the programme was attacked and the main work this season has been the exploratory excavations in the earthworks of Old Oswestry". <2>

Section of dyke photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <3>

Sources

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