Scheduled MonumentsWalesOffa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen
Early Medieval · Linear Earthwork

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen

Denbighshire, Wales
Cadw SAM DE136
Period
Early Medieval
Site type
Linear Earthwork
Broad class
Monument
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen is a linear earthwork forming part of the extensive frontier work traditionally attributed to King Offa of Mercia in the late eighth century. This section of the dyke, which runs across the upland terrain of Denbighshire in the Welsh borderland, preserves substantial earthen banks and ditches that originally demarcated the political boundary between Mercia and Welsh territories. The monument exemplifies the engineering scale of Offa's construction, with the characteristic steep-sided ditch on the Welsh side and raised bank on the Mercian side reflecting deliberate defensive orientation. As a scheduled ancient monument under Welsh heritage protection, this section remains an important archaeological and historical witness to early medieval frontier arrangements and political authority in the Anglo-Welsh borderlands.

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE136. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen?

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen is a linear earthwork forming part of the extensive frontier work traditionally attributed to King Offa of Mercia in the late eighth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference DE136.

What period does Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen date from?

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a linear earthwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen?

Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is DE136.

What other scheduled monuments are near Offa's Dyke: Section from Footpath S of Pen-y-Bryn to Orseddwen?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Offa's Dyke: section 300yds (270m) long, N of Pentre-Shannel (6.4 km), Trefarclawdd colliery remains immediately north of Pottery Cottages (6.9 km), Offa's Dyke: section 380m west of Pottery Cottages (6.9 km).

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