Wansdyke
Wansdyke (from Woden's Dyke) is an early medieval series of defensive linear earthworks in the West Country of England, consisting of a ditch and a running embankment from the ditch spoil. It runs from Maes Knoll in historic Somerset, a hillfort at the east end of Dundry Hill south of Bristol, to the Savernake Forest near Marlborough in Wiltshire. There is also some evidence that it extended west from Maes Knoll to the coast of the Severn Estuary but this is uncertain.
Usage and dating
The Wansdyke consists of three sections 14, 22 and 19 kilometres (9, 14 and 12 mi) long with gaps between. East Wansdyke in Wiltshire, on the south of the Marlborough Downs, has been less disturbed by later agriculture and building and remains more clearly traceable on the ground than the western part. Here the bank is up to 4 m (13 ft) high with a ditch up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) deep. There is no archaeological evidence to date the Western Wandsdyke, but it may have marked a division between British Celtic kingdoms or have been a boundary with the Saxons. The evidence for its western extension is earthworks along the north side of Dundry Hill, its mention in a charter and a road name.
Wansdyke's origins are unclear, but archaeological data shows that the eastern part was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. That is after the withdrawal of the Romans and before the takeover by Anglo-Saxons. The ditch is on the north side, so presumably it was used by the Celts as a defence against Saxons encroaching from the upper Thames valley westward into what is now the West Country.
The area of the western Wansdyke became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577 AD.[1] According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652 AD,[2] and further south at the Battle of Peonnum (at Penselwood) in 658 AD,[3] followed by an advance west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett.[4]
Nomenclature
When the Saxons came upon the dyke, they named it after their god Woden, hence it became 'Woden's Dyke' and, eventually, Wansdyke. It may be compared to both Offa's Dyke (later, and forming a Mercian border with Wales) and Hadrian's Wall (earlier and forming a border with Scotland) as one of the largest defensive earthworks in the United Kingdom. Nennius, an 8th century Welsh monk who had access to older chronicles since lost, describes these defences and their purpose, and links them to the legends of King Arthur.[5]
Modern use of name
The Western Wansdyke gave its name to the former Wansdyke district of the county of Avon, and also to the Wansdyke constituency. It is now in Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.
Route and points of interest
| Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maes Knoll hillfort | 51°23′28″N 2°34′34″W / 51.391°N 2.576°W | ST599659 | Maes Knoll |
| Stantonbury Hill | 51°22′12″N 2°28′16″W / 51.370°N 2.471°W | ST672636 | near Stanton Prior |
| Joining the River Avon | 51°21′22″N 2°19′37″W / 51.356°N 2.327°W | ST773620 | Monkton Combe |
| River Avon to Lacock | 51°24′43″N 2°07′05″W / 51.412°N 2.118°W | ST918681 | Lacock |
| Morgan's Hill | 51°24′07″N 1°57′32″W / 51.402°N 1.959°W | SU029670 | |
| Shepherds' Shore | 51°23′38″N 1°55′59″W / 51.394°N 1.933°W | SU047661 | |
| Milk Hill | 51°22′26″N 1°51′11″W / 51.374°N 1.853°W | SU102639 | |
| Shaw House | 51°23′13″N 1°48′40″W / 51.387°N 1.811°W | SU131654 | |
| Savernake Forest | 51°22′59″N 1°40′48″W / 51.383°N 1.68°W | SU221649 | Savernake Forest |
References
See also
External links
- Wansdyke Project 21 -- A project to preserve Wansdyke (the earthwork). Includes a FAQ.