What is Wat's Dyke?
Q: What is Wat's Dyke?
A: Wat's Dyke is an ancient defensive earthwork between Wales and England.
Q: How does Wat's Dyke compare to Offa's Dyke?
A: Wat's Dyke is earlier than Offa's Dyke, but runs along similar lines, just inside the line of the later dyke.
Q: What was the purpose of Wat's Dyke?
A: The purpose of Wat's Dyke was to keep the Welsh tribes out of the areas to the east which were occupied mainly by Germanic tribes.
Q: What does Wat's Dyke consist of?
A: Wat's Dyke consists (or consisted) of a ditch and a bank. The ditch is on the west of the bank.
Q: When was Wat's Dyke built?
A: Excavations in 2006 suggested the time of building as 792-852 AD.
Q: What may have been the reason for the building of Wat's Dyke?
A: In the 820s, the Mercian king Coenwulf was fighting against a resurgent Welsh threat. That may have been the reason for the building of Wat's Dyke.
Q: What is the Welsh Marches?
A: The Welsh Marches is the area where the present boundary between Wales and England runs close to the two dykes.
