Caer Alyn Summer Dig
17th – 28th July 2023
In 2006 a geophysical survey was carried out in the field just to the north of Bryn Alyn fort. This showed several interesting features, the largest being two low resistance features which curve across the promontory from east to west. We believe these features could be ditches(HER PRN CPAT164272).
There is also a high resistance linear feature running along the western edge of the same field, with a low resistance linear feature immediately to its east. The possible ditches appear to either terminate at or cross these linear features. Even further to the west, on the very edge of the ridge above the river Alyn, is what we believe to be a missing section of Wat’s Dyke; this survives as a low grass-covered bank which runs intermittently in a north-south direction; in 2022, the team at Caer Alyn began excavating a section of this bank, and we have revealed an earthen bank with a core of large stones and pebbles.
The aim of our 2023 summer season is to investigate some of these features more closely and determine their relationships to each other and to Bryn Alyn Fort. While one of the possible ditches lies within the scheduled area of the fort and cannot be investigated, we hope to excavate part of the larger and more northerly ditch. Do these possible cross-ditches pre-date the Iron Age fort? Are they contemporary with it, meaning that the Iron Age fortifications were larger and more complex than previously thought? Or do the ditches and the linear features date to the early medieval period when the fort may have been reutilised as part of the border defences between Wales and Mercia?
The 2006 geophysics survey of Lodge Field, showing the two possible cross-ditches in the bottom right – hand corner and the two linear features to the west of the ditches. The low resistance feature at the top of the grid is the remains of a football pitch.
If you are interested in joining us, please contact us at https://caeralyn.com/contact/ or caeralyn7@gmail.com
Caer Alyn 