Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of Offa's Dyke
immediately north west of Coxbury Farm. Offa's Dyke generally consists of
a bank up to 3.5m high with an intermittent ditch to the west and quarry
ditches to the east. In places Offa's Dyke was strengthened by additional
earthworks, namely a berm between the bank and ditch, and a counterscarp
bank on the western lip of the ditch.
This 514m long section of the Dyke is visible as a bank, with a ditch and a
short section of counterscarp bank to the west and quarry pits to the east.
The bank is between 8m and 10m wide at its base and stands to a maximum height
of 1.7m on its outer face and 0.6m on its inner face. The ditch is up to 5m
wide and 1m deep, but is only visible at the northern end of the section. To
the south the ditch has become infilled over time, but will survive as a
buried feature approximately 5m wide. The counterscarp bank is also only
visible at the northern end of the section, and is between 4m and 8m wide
and stands to a maximum height of 0.8m. The quarry pits to the east of the
bank form a broad band 3m to 6m wide and up to 1m deep. In the centre of
the section, the Dyke survives as a terrace 1m high following the line of
the present field boundary.
All wooden fence posts, signposts, gates and stiles are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Offa's Dyke is the longest linear earthwork in Britain, approximately 220km,
running from Treuddyn, near Mold, to Sedbury on the Severn estuary. It was
constructed towards the end of the eighth century AD by the Mercian king Offa,
and is believed to have formed a long-lived territorial, and possibly
defensive, boundary between the Saxon kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh
kingdoms.
The Dyke is not continuous and consists of a number of discrete lengths
separated by gaps of up to 23km. It is clear from the nature of certain
sections that differences in the scale and character of adjoining portions
were the result of separate gangs being employed on different lengths. Where
possible, natural topographic features such as slopes or rivers were utilised,
and the form of Offa's Dyke is therefore clearly related to the topography.
Along most of its length it consists of a bank with a ditch to the west.
Excavation has indicated that at least some lengths of the bank had a vertical
outer face of either laid stonework or turf revetment. The ditch generally
seems to have been used to provide most of the bank material, although there
is also evidence in some locations of shallow quarries. In places, a berm
divides the bank and ditch, and a counterscarp bank may be present on the lip
of the ditch.
Offa's Dyke now survives in various states of preservation in the form of
earthworks and, where sections have been levelled and infilled, as buried
features. Although some sections of the frontier system no longer survive
visibly, sufficient evidence does exist for its position to be accurately
identified throughout most of its length. In view of its contribution towards
the study of early medieval territorial patterns, all sections of Offa's Dyke
exhibiting significant archaeological remains are considered worthy of
protection.

The section of Offa's Dyke immediately north west of Coxbury Farm survives
well. The bank will have preserved part of the original ground surface
predating the construction of the monument and, along with the ditch and
counterscarp bank to the west and quarries to the east, will contain
environmental evidence in the form of organic remains which will relate
both to the Dyke and to the landscape within which it was constructed.
The bank will also contain evidence relating to the methods of
construction of the monument and the building materials used.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hoyle, J, Vallender, J, Offa's Dyke in Gloucestershire: Management Survay, (1997), 74

Source: Historic England