Hidden Earthworks: Excavation and Protection of Offa’s and Wat’s Dykes

Concerns over the condition of linear earthworks in north-east Wales have resulted in a series of projects undertaken by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT). These have taken place on both Offa’s Dyke and Wat’s Dyke, and on parts of those monuments that are both legally protected (scheduled) and those which have no such protection. This article reports on two such projects, jointly funded by Cadw and the National Trust, which looked at Offa’s and Wat’s Dykes in 2018 and 2019. Excavations took place on unscheduled sections of both monuments where little above-ground evidence survived; in both cases the work revealed well-preserved sections of ditch and bank. Samples were recovered for palaeoenvironmental analysis and dating. The implications of these results for research and protection of the monuments in the future are discussed.