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Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood is an early medieval linear earthwork forming part of a substantial defensive or boundary system in Wales. This section of the dyke runs through Wern Sirk Wood, where it is preserved as an upstanding earthen bank. The monument lies upon bedrock of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone belonging to the Bowland High Group and Craven Group, laid down during the Bashkirian period of the Carboniferous geological era.
Linear earthworks such as Wat's Dyke typically date to the early medieval period and served as territorial markers or defensive barriers between adjoining lands and kingdoms. The dyke's course through woodland has afforded it protection from agricultural disturbance, allowing the earthwork to survive as a recognisable topographic feature. The underlying geology would have presented significant challenges to the builders in constructing so substantial a structure.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw, the Welsh heritage service, recorded under reference FL080. This designation recognises the national significance of the earthwork as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns, political organisation and land use in Wales. The preservation of this section in Wern Sirk Wood contributes importantly to understanding the full extent and character of this major linear monument.
Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference FL080. View the official record →
Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood is an early medieval linear earthwork forming part of a substantial defensive or boundary system in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference FL080.
Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood 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.
Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood 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 FL080.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moel y Gaer Camp (5.4 km), Llys Edwin Medieval Fortified House Site (6.2 km), Round Barrow 450m E of Penbedw Hall (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood'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.
Wat's Dyke: Section in Wern Sirk Wood stands on Bowland High Group And Craven Group (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.