RD089

Short Ditch near Beacon Lodge  

 

Designated  

Powys  

Llangunllo  

318957  

274818  

Monument  

Linear Earthwork  

Early Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The monument consists of a linear earthwork, a substantial bank and ditch dating to the early medieval period and forming a major boundary between two adjacent territories. The Short Ditch near Beacon Lodge runs for a distance of 640m on a south-west to north-east alignment from SO 1871 7461 to SO 1917 7506 across a ridge between deep-set valleys that hold tributaries of the Lugg and Teme respectively. The views from the site vary according to the topography, but they are generally better to the north-east and south-west as a result of higher ground on the north-west and south-east sides of the dyke. The dyke profile varies somewhat along its length. In general it consists of a bank which is c.5.5m wide and stands c.1.2m above the ground on the south-eastern side, from which some material for its construction appears to have been taken towards the north-eastern end, and up to c.3.5m above the base of the c.1m-deep ditch on the north-western side. A low counterscarp bank c.1.7m wide and 0.4m high is present alongside the ditch for much of the length. At the highest point of the ridge (SO 1903 7489) the dyke is crossed by a trackway which dates back at least to the 19th century, though it cannot be proven to have been present when the dyke was in use. Investigations in 2004 indicated that the ditch was originally dug c.4m wide and c.1.4m below the ground surface; radiocarbon samples taken from the ground surface beneath the bank gave a date in the 5th or 6th century AD. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of early medieval defensive organisation and settlement. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. This site is one of a number of similar dykes in Powys and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.