Offa's Dyke.....

.....The Mystery and the Marvel

Farmer Tom Hughes of Caeaugwynion Farm, Chirk has recently cleared scrub on a section of the Dyke

Image by: CCW

 

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by By Jonathan Neale, Feature Writer, Countryside Council for Wales

April 05, 2006

On asking my children recently whether they'd heard of Offa's Dyke, I was a little surprised and disappointed to hear that they hadn't. Well, why should three Welsh teenagers need to know about a bank of earth that runs through the countryside in a place they call the Welsh Marches? Why? Because it's part of their heritage.

So what exactly is Offa's Dyke?

Offa's Dyke is a massive mound of earth, forming the ancient boundary of England and Wales. The Dyke was named after the powerful king of Mercia, Offa who, it is said, organized its construction during the late 700s AD. The Dyke from end to end covers a distance of around 210 kilometers (130 miles), and is the longest and most impressive of its kind in Europe; experts say it ranks in archaeological importance with the better known monuments of Hadrian's Wall and Stonehenge.

The border area between England and Wales, commonly known as the 'Marches' (from the Norman-French word mearc, meaning a boundary ‘mark'), was an area of great tension and conflict. The Romans experienced this when they came face to face with Caradoc (Caractacus), who united the British tribes in a last stand against the might of Rome in the area in AD50. Later, the Normans built castles in the Marches as secure bases in a very long war against the fiercely independent Welsh Princes.

But what was the Dyke for?

The exact reason for building the Dyke has puzzled archaeologists and historians for many years. The traditional theory is that the Dyke was an agreed boundary, fixed by a treaty between the increasingly powerful Mercian kingdom and the Welsh; historians point to the equally beneficial position of the Dyke at various points along its length as evidence of a settled frontier.

Offa's Dyke

Image by: CCW

 

However, some historians say that it was a defensive structure built by Offa to physically keep the warring Princes of Powys out of Mercia. They argue that the most formidable parts of the Dyke are found along the ridges that run from central Wales deep into present Shropshire and Herefordshire; these bare ridges allowed quick and easy access for Welsh raids into Mercia . The Dyke here may have been manned, and with the western face being near vertical, it would have made access across it very difficult.

Casting an Expert's Eye

Commenting on the continued debate about its purpose, Ian Bapty, Offa's Dyke Archaeological Management Officer, says: It is perhaps testimony to the enduring legacy of Offa's Dyke that it attracts much popular speculation about its origins. However, our priority is to ensure it is protected for future generations'. Ian works for the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, which is the lead body implementing the Offa's Dyke Initiative - a scheme funded by English Heritage and Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.

The main aims of the Offa's Dyke Initiative are to ensure its conservation and protection, and to coordinate future management. Mr Bapty concludes: ‘Offa's Dyke is one of the great engineering achievements in British history, and a fascinating mystery which carries us back to the origins of the English and Welsh nations. But Offa's Dyke is also an active part of the modern landscape, and conserving it for the future represents a complex but important challenge.'

Conservation in Action:

Farmer Tom Hughes of Caeaugwynion Farm, Chirk has recently cleared scrub on a section of the Dyke (see photo). The work was undertaken as part of a Farm Agreement under Tir Gofal, a Welsh Assembly farm-environment scheme that, amongst other things, helps farmers repair and reinstate traditional landscape features.

A map showing Offa's Dyke

Image by: CCW

 

This is the first of three features relating to the Dyke; the next two in the series follow my progress as I attempt a long-distance walk along the route of the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail. The Trail runs for 283 km (60 km of which is along the Dyke itself) from the banks of the Severn Estuary at Chepstow, to Prestatyn on the north Wales coast. The Trail path is widely regarded as one of the best long-distance walks in Britain .

Offa's Dyke is a Scheduled Ancient Monument , under the protection of Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.

A leaflet on the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail is available from the Countryside Council for Wales or Tel: 0845 1306 229.

More information on the Dyke can be obtained by contacting the Offa's Dyke Centre, West Street, Knighton, Powys. Tel. 01547 528 753 or by visiting their Web site www.nationaltrail.co.uk