Caer Alyn Monograph Published
Caer Alyn - A Border Landscape
by Annabelle Rogers
with contributions from
Alan Brown, Phil Cox and Patrick Reeson.
Photographs by Neil Adams and Russell Evans
ISBN: 978 0 9562507 0 143 pages A5
publishing@caeralyn.org
The border between Wales and England has, over the centuries, been hotly disputed, and nowhere more so than in the northern marches, where castles, forts and dykes bear witness to the struggles that have taken place.
North Wales has a rich heritage spanning thousands of years. The caves at Pontnewydd near Denbigh have yielded the earliest evidence of human occupation over 200,000 years ago. Since then ice ages have ebbed and flowed over the area and the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago ushered in the Stone Age with barrows, cairns and standing stones, followed by the first metallurgists of the Bronze Age, and then the development of working with iron just under 3,000 years ago.
The first millennium AD has left evidence of Roman occupation followed by the early medieval period with Christian pillars and crosses, and the border earthworks of Offa’s Dyke and its neighbour Wat’s Dyke.
A feature of the last thousand years has been the construction of fortified structures such as the motte and bailey castles built to facilitate the Norman conquest of Wales, for example Flint and Rhuddlan, and forts such as Ewloe and Dinas Bran, built by the
Welsh to defend their homeland. The later medieval period was in comparison a settled one, with the construction of splendid abbeys and churches, and the more recent agricultural and industrial revolutions have also left indelible marks on the landscape
The Caer Alyn project is fortunate to have access to a wide range of this heritage - the Iron Age promontory fort, a possible Bronze Age tumulus in an adjacent field and Wat’s Dyke which follows the western side of the fort. In addition a number of ruined mills are situated in the adjacent valley alongside the River Alyn.
The original project members moved to Caer Alyn in the spring of 2004 from involvement with the excavation of the possible site of the Abbey at Poulton near Chester, to look for the lost chapel of St.Leonard. A number of trenches were opened up in selected promising locations, but although some interesting items were found, the search for the elusive chapel continues, albeit not as assiduously as originally!
The desire to involve the local community and to more thoroughly research the heritage of the area resulted in a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to help fund these aspirations. Contacts were established with local colleges and schools, and a youth archaeology group is up and running on the site.
with contributions from
Alan Brown, Phil Cox and Patrick Reeson.
Photographs by Neil Adams and Russell Evans
ISBN: 978 0 9562507 0 143 pages A5
publishing@caeralyn.org
Foreword
The border between Wales and England has, over the centuries, been hotly disputed, and nowhere more so than in the northern marches, where castles, forts and dykes bear witness to the struggles that have taken place.
North Wales has a rich heritage spanning thousands of years. The caves at Pontnewydd near Denbigh have yielded the earliest evidence of human occupation over 200,000 years ago. Since then ice ages have ebbed and flowed over the area and the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago ushered in the Stone Age with barrows, cairns and standing stones, followed by the first metallurgists of the Bronze Age, and then the development of working with iron just under 3,000 years ago.
The first millennium AD has left evidence of Roman occupation followed by the early medieval period with Christian pillars and crosses, and the border earthworks of Offa’s Dyke and its neighbour Wat’s Dyke.
A feature of the last thousand years has been the construction of fortified structures such as the motte and bailey castles built to facilitate the Norman conquest of Wales, for example Flint and Rhuddlan, and forts such as Ewloe and Dinas Bran, built by the
Welsh to defend their homeland. The later medieval period was in comparison a settled one, with the construction of splendid abbeys and churches, and the more recent agricultural and industrial revolutions have also left indelible marks on the landscape
The Caer Alyn project is fortunate to have access to a wide range of this heritage - the Iron Age promontory fort, a possible Bronze Age tumulus in an adjacent field and Wat’s Dyke which follows the western side of the fort. In addition a number of ruined mills are situated in the adjacent valley alongside the River Alyn.
The original project members moved to Caer Alyn in the spring of 2004 from involvement with the excavation of the possible site of the Abbey at Poulton near Chester, to look for the lost chapel of St.Leonard. A number of trenches were opened up in selected promising locations, but although some interesting items were found, the search for the elusive chapel continues, albeit not as assiduously as originally!
The desire to involve the local community and to more thoroughly research the heritage of the area resulted in a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to help fund these aspirations. Contacts were established with local colleges and schools, and a youth archaeology group is up and running on the site.
Posted by Ken White, Oct 25, 2009
