38:
1502:
288:
104:
247:
Excavations in 2006 suggested a much later date of 792–852, and the earlier date is now thought to relate to a fire site of a sub-Roman earthwork which preceded the actual dyke. It has been tentatively suggested that the likely context for construction is in the 820s, when the
Mercian king
243:
The dating of the fire site and hence the dyke has been disputed, and it has been suggested that owing to the difficulties inherent in radiocarbon dating, this single date cannot be fully trusted and also that the dyke could easily have been built on top of the fire site at a later date.
181:
and by implication can be seen as protecting the
English lands to the east. The placement of the dyke in the terrain also shows that care was taken to provide clear views to the west and to use local features to the best defensive advantage.
165:. The ditch has long since been filled in and the bank ploughed away, but originally it was a considerable construction, considered to be strategically more sophisticated than Offa's Dyke. The date of construction is disputed, ranging from
1358:
1221:
1216:
1208:
826:
1183:
1439:
1203:
843:
905:
1228:
1176:
779:
232:
to between 411 and 561 AD (centered around 446 AD). This evidence would seem to place the building of the dyke in the era of the post-Roman kingdom whose capital was at
1018:
711:
1388:
838:
811:
1188:
1331:
1102:
1008:
821:
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1276:
900:
833:
607:
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1608:
157:, sometimes within a few yards but never more than three miles (5 km) away. It now appears insignificant and is visible in some places as a raised
1171:
1519:
721:
944:
1568:
1395:
260:
The approximate line of the earthwork is followed by the Wat's Dyke Way, a waymarked long-distance path running for 61 miles (98 km) from
1558:
853:
648:
1383:
1124:
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682:
1573:
932:
858:
848:
784:
653:
408:
1593:
1338:
964:
910:
873:
1578:
1482:
1271:
1195:
868:
600:
403:
1420:
1415:
1028:
699:
627:
37:
1583:
1151:
431:
177:
It consists of the usual bank and ditch of an ancient dyke, with the ditch on the western side, meaning that the dyke faces
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1013:
915:
735:
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487:
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1459:
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593:
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1119:
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927:
801:
660:
59:
1378:
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1247:
890:
878:
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762:
69:
1432:
1309:
1090:
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1598:
1321:
1061:
796:
202:
567:
1427:
1111:
1023:
972:
643:
336:
1477:
1046:
982:
301:
273:
716:
341:
95:
1240:
1066:
885:
694:
616:
249:
229:
1487:
1259:
1073:
1038:
757:
166:
1368:
1314:
1281:
1003:
774:
399:
269:
265:
135:
131:
123:
335:
and thereby settle the exact boundary between the
Kingdoms of Scotland and England, on the
1373:
1056:
729:
378:
332:
466:
1350:
989:
977:
704:
665:
314:
221:
154:
115:
560:
Worthington, Margaret (1997): '"Wat’s Dyke: An
Archaeological and Historical Enigma,"
553:
Hannaford, H. R. (1998): "Archaeological
Excavations on Wat’s Dyke at Maes-y-Clawdd,"
1552:
1454:
1446:
1141:
213:, built the dyke which carries his name at some point during his reign (757 to 796).
127:
1146:
994:
579:
331:-mile (6 km) linear earthwork constructed in 1552 to mark the division of the
293:
186:
443:
201:
The dyke was previously thought to date to the early 8th century, constructed by
816:
350:
261:
499:
1085:
354:
283:
237:
150:
1534:
1521:
937:
305:
404:"Old Oswestry hillfort, and two adjacent sections of Wat's Dyke (1014899)"
220:
uncovered the remains of a small fire site together with eroded shards of
103:
309:
233:
225:
217:
190:
162:
146:
142:
1136:
1131:
345:
138:
43:
585:
206:
548:
The Keys to Avalon: The True
Location of Arthur’s Kingdom Revealed
178:
158:
102:
1363:
210:
589:
521:
557:, Shropshire County Council, report no. 132, December 1997.
304:, a similar earthwork created during sub-Roman decades in
209:, who reigned from 716 to 757. Æthelbald's successor,
1470:
1408:
1349:
1297:
1110:
1101:
1037:
963:
636:
185:A section of the dyke extends north and south from
91:
83:
75:
65:
55:
566:, Manchester, Vol 79, no. 3, 1997. Reprinted in
252:was fighting against a resurgent Welsh threat.
216:Excavations in the 1990s at Maes-y-Clawdd near
601:
8:
568:Offa's Dyke Journal, vol. 1, 2019, pp. 58–79
21:
1444:
488:"Wat's Dyke Dated: Was it Coenwulf's Dyke?"
240:) about 10 miles (16 km) to the east.
1107:
608:
594:
586:
36:
20:
153:, England. It runs generally parallel to
498:. November–December 2007. Archived from
372:
370:
366:
107:Wat's Dyke in brown; Offa's Dyke in red
550:. Revised Edition, published by Rider.
546:Blake, Steve and Scott, Lloyd (2003):
430:Denison, Simon, ed. (November 1999).
16:Linear earthwork in Wales and England
7:
1589:Archaeological sites in Shropshire
409:National Heritage List for England
14:
1609:Scheduled monuments in Flintshire
780:fossiliferous stratigraphic units
1501:
1500:
1483:Sustainability in Merthyr Tydfil
286:
628:Geography of the United Kingdom
465:Matthews, Keith J. (c. 2000).
1:
1569:Archaeological sites in Powys
1416:Social geography and identity
563:Bulletin John Rylands Library
161:and in others no more than a
126:running through the northern
87:Up to 40 mi (64 km)
1559:Anglo-Saxon sites in England
1359:General forms of place-names
582:– photos of Wat's Dyke today
524:. Wat's Dyke Way Association
169:to the early ninth century.
122:) is a 40-mile (64 km)
1460:Little England beyond Wales
1630:
1564:Anglo-Saxon sites in Wales
236:(just south of modern-day
224:pottery and quantities of
1574:Fortifications in England
1496:
623:
276:. It was opened in 2007.
51:
35:
26:
1379:Welsh Place-Name Society
255:
1579:Fortifications in Wales
173:Construction and siting
1451:(Welsh-speaking areas)
1445:
1019:Habitats of importance
119:
108:
1584:History of Shropshire
1440:Anglo–Welsh relations
1189:by population in 1971
1024:Marine Character Area
768:Temperate rainforests
377:Nurse, Keith (2001).
337:Anglo-Scottish border
106:
1594:England–Wales border
1535:52.98667°N 3.02861°W
1478:Geography of Cardiff
1389:in the United States
1014:Environmental issues
717:Reservoir management
92:Completion date
60:England–Wales border
1604:Fortification lines
1531: /
812:Mountains and hills
712:Dams and reservoirs
661:Border with England
555:Archaeology Service
492:British Archaeology
467:"Dating Wat's Dyke"
436:British Archaeology
23:
1540:52.98667; -3.02861
1421:North–South divide
1396:Standardised Welsh
1384:In other countries
1236:Preserved counties
1184:1844–1974 exclaves
1009:Conservation areas
617:Geography of Wales
580:www.geograph.co.uk
379:"Wat's In A Name?"
228:, which have been
197:Dating controversy
141:, passing east of
109:
1614:Linear earthworks
1514:
1513:
1488:Lammas Ecovillage
1404:
1403:
1164:Historic counties
1052:Natural resources
945:Extinct volcanoes
351:Broadclough Dykes
101:
100:
1621:
1546:
1545:
1543:
1542:
1541:
1536:
1532:
1529:
1528:
1527:
1524:
1504:
1503:
1450:
1200:Local districts
1120:Local government
1108:
938:for military-use
610:
603:
596:
587:
534:
533:
531:
529:
522:"Wat's Dyke Way"
518:
512:
511:
509:
507:
502:on 19 April 2012
484:
478:
477:
475:
473:
462:
456:
455:
453:
451:
442:. Archived from
427:
421:
420:
418:
416:
400:Historic England
396:
390:
389:
387:
385:
374:
342:Black Pig's Dyke
330:
329:
325:
322:
296:
291:
290:
289:
266:Basingwerk Abbey
132:Basingwerk Abbey
124:linear earthwork
42:Wat's Dyke near
40:
24:
1629:
1628:
1624:
1623:
1622:
1620:
1619:
1618:
1549:
1548:
1539:
1537:
1533:
1530:
1525:
1522:
1520:
1518:
1517:
1515:
1510:
1492:
1466:
1400:
1345:
1293:
1272:Electoral wards
1248:Principal areas
1196:Poor law unions
1097:
1091:Slate quarrying
1033:
959:
911:Nature reserves
891:Protected areas
730:Desert of Wales
632:
619:
614:
576:
543:
541:Further reading
538:
537:
527:
525:
520:
519:
515:
505:
503:
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485:
481:
471:
469:
464:
463:
459:
449:
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446:on 19 July 2012
429:
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424:
414:
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398:
397:
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383:
381:
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375:
368:
363:
333:Debatable Lands
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320:
318:
292:
287:
285:
282:
258:
199:
175:
47:
31:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1627:
1625:
1617:
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1606:
1601:
1596:
1591:
1586:
1581:
1576:
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1566:
1561:
1551:
1550:
1512:
1511:
1509:
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1318:
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1301:
1299:
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1279:
1277:Built-up areas
1274:
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1257:
1256:
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1128:
1127:
1116:
1114:
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1103:Administrative
1099:
1098:
1096:
1095:
1094:
1093:
1088:
1083:
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1081:
1079:re-forestation
1071:
1070:
1069:
1059:
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1043:
1041:
1035:
1034:
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920:
919:
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896:National parks
888:
883:
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841:
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831:
830:
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799:
794:
789:
788:
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771:
770:
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755:
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746:Extreme points
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725:
724:
719:
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574:External links
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457:
432:"Dyke redated"
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256:Wat's Dyke Way
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222:Romano-British
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1599:Ancient dikes
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1447:Y Fro Gymraeg
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1332:with Brittany
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1029:Precipitation
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700:Coastal paths
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128:Welsh Marches
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30:
25:
19:
1516:
1112:Subdivisions
973:Biodiversity
736:Dune systems
728:
670:
561:
554:
547:
526:. Retrieved
516:
504:. Retrieved
500:the original
495:
491:
482:
470:. Retrieved
460:
448:. Retrieved
444:the original
439:
435:
425:
413:. Retrieved
407:
394:
382:. Retrieved
294:Wales portal
264:in Powys to
259:
246:
242:
215:
200:
193:hill fort.
187:Old Oswestry
184:
176:
111:
110:
28:
18:
1538: /
1298:Settlements
1287:for economy
1260:Communities
1062:Coal mining
1047:Agriculture
965:Environment
822:County tops
666:Offa's Dyke
315:Scots' Dike
262:Llanymynech
155:Offa's Dyke
96:8th century
1553:Categories
1523:52°59′12″N
1428:Demography
1327:Twin towns
1213:1896–1974
950:Waterfalls
886:Peninsulas
671:Wat's Dyke
361:References
355:Lancashire
238:Shrewsbury
205:, king of
151:Shropshire
145:and on to
120:Clawdd Wat
112:Wat's Dyke
29:Clawdd Wat
22:Wat's Dyke
1339:by county
1241:districts
1204:1848–1894
839:by height
807:Moorlands
763:Broadleaf
741:Estuaries
722:by volume
695:Coastline
654:Blue Flag
306:Wiltshire
270:River Dee
203:Æthelbald
167:sub-Roman
136:River Dee
70:Earthwork
1526:3°1′43″W
1506:Category
1351:Toponymy
1168:by area
1159:Hundreds
1074:Forestry
1039:Land use
955:Wetlands
854:Marilyns
827:historic
705:heritage
637:Physical
310:Somerset
302:Wansdyke
280:See also
274:Holywell
250:Coenwulf
234:Wroxeter
226:charcoal
218:Oswestry
191:Iron Age
163:cropmark
159:hedgerow
147:Maesbury
143:Oswestry
76:Material
56:Location
1433:Cardiff
1315:capital
1282:Regions
1209:1894–95
1142:Marches
1137:Commote
1132:Cantref
1125:history
1004:Climate
928:Springs
859:Nuttall
849:highest
802:Meadows
792:Islands
775:Geology
758:Forests
683:history
649:Beaches
528:10 June
506:10 June
472:10 June
450:10 June
415:9 April
384:10 June
346:Ireland
326:⁄
268:on the
139:estuary
134:on the
46:, Wales
44:Northop
1409:Social
1310:Cities
1305:Places
1057:Mining
995:Apples
983:Breeds
923:Rivers
916:Ramsar
879:rescue
874:ranges
869:passes
844:Hewitt
834:Furths
785:faults
751:centre
678:Canals
207:Mercia
84:Length
1471:Other
1322:Towns
1147:lords
990:Flora
978:Fauna
933:Vales
906:SSSIs
901:AONBs
864:P600s
817:3000s
797:Lakes
690:Caves
272:near
230:dated
189:, an
179:Wales
130:from
116:Welsh
79:Earth
1369:Llan
1364:Caer
1265:list
1253:list
1229:1973
1177:1891
1172:1831
1086:Gold
1067:tips
644:Bays
530:2018
508:2018
474:2018
452:2018
417:2024
386:2018
317:, a
308:and
211:Offa
66:Type
1374:Pil
1222:RDs
1217:UDs
1152:law
353:in
344:in
149:in
1555::
496:97
494:.
490:.
440:49
438:.
434:.
406:.
402:.
369:^
118::
609:e
602:t
595:v
532:.
510:.
476:.
454:.
419:.
388:.
328:2
324:1
321:+
319:3
114:(
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