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Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge is an early medieval linear earthwork that forms part of the extensive frontier works built across the Welsh–English borderlands. Constructed in the late eighth century, this section of the dyke runs southwestward from Tatham Bridge and represents one of the most substantial monuments of the Anglo-Saxon period. The monument consists of a substantial bank and ditch, visible today as an earthwork ridge following the contours of the local terrain.
The dyke was constructed across the Pennine Middle Coal Measures and South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation, which comprise mudstone, siltstone, sandstone and other sedimentary deposits. These challenging geological conditions required significant labour to excavate the ditch and raise the accompanying bank. The bedrock geology would have influenced both the construction techniques employed and the route selection, as the mixed geology of clays and sandstones affected the workability and stability of the earthwork.
The monument remains visible as a prominent linear feature in the landscape, protected by Cadw as a nationally significant heritage asset. This section of Offa's Dyke contributes to the broader understanding of early medieval territorial control and the administrative sophistication of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia during its period of greatest territorial expansion.
Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE141. View the official record →
Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge is an early medieval linear earthwork that forms part of the extensive frontier works built across the Welsh–English borderlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference DE141.
Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge 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.
Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge 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 DE141.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including A 1.43km length of the Ellesmere Canal and associated features at Chirk Bank (6.5 km), Motte castle adjacent to Oaklands Hall, Chirk Bank (6.5 km), Roman military site at Rhyn Park (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.