Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a section of the
linear boundary known as Offa's Dyke on the western slope of Llanfair Hill,
1.4km south west of Burfield.

Offa's Dyke generally consists of a bank up to 3.5m high, with an
intermittent parallel ditch and quarry pits in places. It was strengthened
in some areas by additional earthworks, namely a berm and a counterscarp
bank on the outer lip of the ditch.

In this section the Dyke runs south along the western side of Llanfair Hill
for some 1.8km before terminating at the point where the bank is interrupted
by a farm track at Ordnance Survey NGR SO25587840. At the northern end of this
section, adjacent to a stream, the Dyke is obscured by a patch of marshy
ground. Nevertheless the ditch is believed to survive as a buried feature
and is included in the scheduling. After running south for approximately 40m,
the Dyke is interrupted by a 15m wide gap before continuing up the western
flank of Llanfair Hill with a 3m high bank, well-defined ditch and
counterscarp bank. On the eastern side of the bank are some shallow quarry
pits from which material to build the Dyke was removed. The earthworks are
visible for a further 1.1km beyond which the ditch is partly obscured by
a metalled trackway joining it from the north and overlying the course of
the ditch for 300m. However, the ditch will survive as a buried feature and
is included in the scheduling. The Dyke is visible for a further 400m to
the point where a track crosses the remains.

Further sections of Offa's Dyke, approximately 10m to the north and
immediately to the south, are the subject of separate schedulings.

All posts and stiles and the surface of the metalled trackway are excluded
from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them 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 on the western slope of Llanfair Hill, 1.4km
south west of Burfield survives well, despite the construction of a
trackway over part of the ditch. The varied form of the earthwork throughout
this section will provide insight into its construction and the technical
skills of the people who built it. Artefactual evidence will also provide
information about the changing use of the monument. In addition, environmental
evidence in the form of pollen and seeds within the ditch and on the buried
ground surface beneath the bank will provide further evidence of the landscape
and farming practices at the time of the construction.

Public access along the southern half of this section creates a valuable
recreational and educational resource for the community.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Kay, K, Richards, , Offa's Dyke Path North, (1995), 18

Source: Historic England