Wat's Dyke
| Clawdd Wat | |
Wat's Dyke near Northop, Wales.
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| Location | England–Wales border |
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| Type | Earthwork |
| Material | Earth |
| Length | Up to 40 mi (64 km) |
| Completion date | 8th century |
Coordinates: 52°59′12″N 3°1′43″W / 52.98667°N 3.02861°W
Wat's Dyke (Welsh: Clawdd Wat) is a 40-mile (64 km) earthwork running through the northern Welsh Marches from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary, passing to the east of Oswestry and on to Maesbury in Shropshire, England. It runs generally parallel to Offa's Dyke, sometimes within a few yards but never more than three miles away. It now appears insignificant, sometimes a raised hedgerow and in other places is now no more than a cropmark, the ditch long since filled in and the bank ploughed away, but originally it was a considerable construction, considered to be more sophisticated than Offa's Dyke.
It consists of the usual bank and ditch of an ancient dyke, with the ditch on the western side, meaning that the dyke faces Wales 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.
The dyke was previously thought to date to the early 8th century, constructed by Aethelbald king of Mercia who reigned from 716 to 757. Aethelbald's successor, Offa, built the dyke which carries his name at some point during his reign (757 to 796).
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