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

• ESA6612 - Excavation of Offa's Dyke, Chirbury, Rownal Covert by D Hill & M Worthington (Ref: Site 55)
• ESA6613 - Excavation of Offa's Dyke, Chirbury, Rownal Covert by D Hill & M Worthington (Ref: Site 152)
• ESA6614 - Excavation of Offa's Dyke, Chirbury, Calves Ground by D Hill & M Worthington (Ref: Site 151)
• ESA6615 - Excavation of Offa's Dyke, Chirbury, Rownal Paddock by D Hill & M Worthington (Ref: Site 150)
• 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
• ESA9067 - 2019 Heritage at Risk Survey by Historic England

Description

Bank is maximum 2.4m high with ditch and up to 1.2m counterscarp. Pasture. <1>

-> Site 55 (SO 233 979) Excavation of this section of dyke by D. Hill and M. Worthington. One of Cyril Fox’s suggested original "gateways", with a later investigation of the same site [ESA 6613].
-> Site 152 (SO 233 979) Excavation following on from a previous investigation [ESA 6612] for the sake of completeness. This was one of Fox’s suggestions for an original gateway. A topographical survey and resistivity survey were also undertaken. It was noted that there was a rise in the ground across the path to the east of the ditch and adjacent to the two ends of the bauk that stands to a good height to either side. The surface evidence seemed to suggest a bank, but only the ditch could confirm the continuity of the Dyke and the ditch was indeed present.
-> Site 151 (SO 233 980) Excavation of a gateway through the dyke, in a position designed to recover the western lip of the ditch. At the deepest level of the excavation an almost stone free, fine silty ditch fill was found. This was overlain by a layer of small stones that appeared to have been put into place when the modern opening was made, but this had quickly rutted and larger stones filled the ruts. A layer of soil and stone had then developed before water-rolled pebbles were laid, with a greater depth at the softer eastern end over the ditch. Thus the trackway post-dated the building of the Dyke and the ditch was part of the original plan.
->Site 150 (SO 232 984) Excavation of a gap in the bank which was examined at the lowest point in a field where the earthwork is substantial and unbroken to north and south within the field. The evidence for the ditch exists in some parts of the field but neither bank nor ditch could be detected on the surface at this point. The ground surface in the hollow was dry at the time of the excavation although it was clear from the amount of hard core that had been laid that this was normally a very wet area. A trench was excavated to the east side of the hedge, here on the approximate line of the ditch but any clear evidence for a ditch was impeded by a working field drain lying along the boundary, a not uncommon feature in the infilled ditch. It was felt that there was some evidence for the eastern lip of the ditch but the evidence was not conclusive, so a second trench was opened on the west side of the hedge to try to locate the western lip of the ditch. Again there was some evidence for softer ground where the trench lay across the extrapolated line of the ditch but certainty proved impossible because of the depth of animal disturbance in the frequently waterlogged ground. <2>

"The 'simple gateway' postulated by Fox was shown to have the ditch existing under the causeway leading to the gap in the Offa's Dyke'. This must now be considered a later opening in the dyke." <3>

Sources

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