<< Other Photo Pages >> Lyonshall Bank - Misc. Earthwork in England in Herefordshire
Submitted by Anne T on Friday, 20 February 2026 Page Views: 397
Early MedievalSite Name: Lyonshall Bank Alternative Name: Row Ditch, Lyonshall Earthwork, Offa's Dyke (Lyonshall)Country: England County: Herefordshire Type: Misc. Earthwork
Nearest Town: Kington Nearest Village: Lyonshall
Map Ref: SO3349355016
Latitude: 52.189358N Longitude: 2.974287W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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Just south west of Lyonshall, there are two sections of defensive ditch which appear to be linked to Offa's Dyke. These are scheduled as Historic England List ID 1001735, "Offa's Dyke: section NW of Holme Marsh extending 615yds (560m) to the railway", NGR SO 33493 55016, and Historic England List ID 1001733, "Offa's Dyke: the section 630yds (580m) long W of Lyonshall", NGR SO 32790 55995.
The Offa's Dyke Collaboratory Blog, "Design and Construction, Offa's Dyke, Lyonshall" treats both these sections as one continuous bank (which it used to be, now cut by a minor road).
The blog describes the feature as a substantial early medieval linear earthwork running northwest to southeast near the village of Lyonshall in Herefordshire. The bank is significant enough to "loom over the car as you drive through" the road cutting, distinguishing it from the less impressive Herefordshire sections that resemble "glorified hedgerows."
The earthwork's origins remain uncertain. Historical references include "Row Ditch" in tithe maps and a 14th-century meadow named Rowdiche, with the name probably deriving from "Rough ditch." Whether this represents a section of Offa's Dyke or a separate but related linear boundary is an open question. Disconnected earthwork sections across Herefordshire occupy an ambiguous scholarly status, sometimes attributed to Offa's Dyke, sometimes treated as independent structures. No excavation has been carried out to establish dating.
The road cutting provides a convenient cross-section view of the earthwork's construction, though it has also destroyed part of the monument. The feature lies in the landscape of ambiguous linear earthworks in Herefordshire that, as Erik Grigg notes, "give up their secrets with great reluctance."
Notes for visitors:
Condition: substantial bank survives, cut by minor road
Ambience: rural Herefordshire setting
Access: visible from minor road that cuts through it
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