Past SWAG Visits
Knighton and Offa's Dyke
Visited 7th May 2006
This website account is based on the article by Nils Wilkes in SWAG newsletter 99b, August 2006.
Guide for the day was Ian Bapty of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeology Trust (CPAT).
Knighton
Knighton stands on the banks of the River Teme and astride the line of Offa's Dyke, at a strategic point on the Wales/England border.
Although there is evidence of settlement at Knighton from the Stone Age period, the town itself is essentially mediaeval in origin, when corn and wool were its main trading commodities. In the old market square, in the high part of the town, many of the old buildings are constructed from poor-quality local shale, although in many cases this is no longer evident as the facades have been rendered to prevent erosion. The nearby Castle Motte is difficult to see due to overgrowth of vegetation and because a fire station has been cut into it. This castle is the later of the two castles in Knighton.
The high and low parts of the town are linked by High Street, also known as the Narrows. At the bottom is a clock tower, built in 1872 by Welsh and Son of Hereford and presented to the town by Thomas Moore. In Wylcwm Street is the site of a short archaeological dig undertaken by CPAT prior to the area being developed. Unfortunately, the two weeks CPAT were allowed was insufficient to determine much, in particular the line of the road which was uncovered.
A visit to St Edward's Church (one of only two dedicated to St Edward in the whole of Wales) followed. Believed to be the fourth on the site, the church has been the subject of much rebuilding over time, the last being in the 19th Century when all but the mediaeval tower was replaced. An earlier church on this site in Georgian times was dedicated to St Lawrence.
Next stop was Bryn y Castell, believed to be Norman and the earlier of the two castles. No bailey is visible today but the motte remains; a scramble to the top revealed little in the way of the expected commanding view, only trees and vegetation.
The party returned to the Offa's Dyke Centre for a picnic lunch and arrangements were made for a walk from Hawthorn Hill back to town, following Offa's Dyke.
Offa's Dyke
The
weather and the views combined to give a flavour of the long distance
footpath which stretches from Chepstow in the
south to Prestatyn in the north, a distance of 177 miles. The Dyke
was constructed in the late Eighth Century by King Offa of Mercia
but it is not continuous, and large sections are missing, particularly
in Herefordshire. The general consensus is that the Dyke was built
to define a boundary rather than being defensive.
On the top of Hawthorn Hill, our guide explained much of the history relating to Offa's Dyke and Hawthorn Hill. From this spot there were superb views down to Hay Bluff, the Brecons and the Malverns, and across to the nearby Bryn Glas Hill and Pilleth, where in 1402 Owain Glyndwr defeated Edward Mortimer's troops.
On the trek back to Knighton, the Dyke varied in shape and size, presumably through agricultural land usage and erosion over the centuries, but one section seemed to be nearer how one might imagine the original construction, with a deep ditch and a rampart several metres high.
More information
Knighton online - a short history section and several photographs of modern-day Knighton
Knighton at the Wikipedia website
Knighton at the Teme Valley website
Old photographs and maps of Knighton at the website of Francis Frith
Pilleth: the battle of Bryn Glas, 1402
Pilleth entry on Wikipedia
www.swag-online.org.uk
