Offa’s Dyke

Offa’s Dyke can be seen in several places in the Forest. It is first recognisable just in the western end of the Lydbrook Viaduct. From here it shows at intervals until the road to Bicknor cuts through its path, and here it is evident, both on the bank and towards the top of the hill opposite, whence a combination of dyke and cliff marked the edge of Mercia as far as Symond’s Yat, where it seems to merge with the vallum of the Rock Promontory Fort.

From this point no trace of it can be seen for ten miles since the cliffs are so high, but just below Redbrook it becomes visible again, and can be followed fairly easily until it comes to an end in a bunch of scrub in a field at Tutshill, near to the old look-out tower which was later erected as an outpost of Chepstow Castle. A continuation of the Dyke runs across the Beachley Peninsula to reach the Severn at Sedbury, and may be traced on portions of the higher ground. Here it bears traces of being used for later defence works, but at certain spots it retains a nearly perfect form.

• vallum
  (Roman British archaeol.) n.
  a rampart; a wall of sods, earth, or other material, esp. of that thrown up from a ditch.

The text above is from:
                “Forest Story”
                by R.J. Mansfield
                publisher: the author 1964

GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS

The following excerpts are taken from “Gerald of Wales: The Journey Through Wales / The Description of Wales” translated by Lewis Thorpe (publisher: Penguin Classics 1978).

The journey describes the mission to Wales by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1188. He was accompanied by Giraldus.

Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales)

The Forest of Dean We went through Caerleon, passing far away on our left Monmouth Castle and the great Forest of Dean, which is across the Wye, but still on this side of the Severn, and which supplies Gloucester with venison an iron ore. We spent the night at Newport.

The Severn and the Wye The Severn, which is a noble river, rises in the Plinlimmon mountains. It flows round Shrewsbury Castle, then by Brignorth Castle, on through the city of Worcester and then through Gloucester, with its iron-works. A few miles from Gloucester it runs into the Severn Sea, which takes its name from it. For many years this river formed the boundary between Cambria and Loegria, or Wales and southern England. It took its Welsh name of Hafren from that of a girl, the daughter of Locrinus, who was drowned there by her stepmother. The Latin aspirate has changed in S, just as happens when Greek words are borrowed by Latin, and so we now say Sabrina, or Severn. Other examples of this are ‘sal’ for ‘hal’, ‘semi’ for ‘hemi’, ‘septem’ for ‘hepta’.

The River Wye rises in these same Plinlimmon mountains. It flows by the castles of Hay and Clifford, through the city of Hereford, by Wilton Castle and Goodrich, through the Forest of Dean, which is full of deer and where iron-ore is mined, and so comes to Striguil Castle*, below which it enters the sea. It forms the modern boundary between England and Wales.

The above text is from:
                “The Journey Through Wales / The Description of Wales”
                By Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis)
                translated by Lewis Thorpe
                publisher: Penguin Classics 1978

* Striguil Castle

Striguil or Strigoil is the name which was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century, for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England.

Vale of Castiard

So great is the valley of the Severn that its attendant vales are lost until they are found, and none is more secluded than the lovely Vale of Castiard. I have often asked my way to Castiard, but have never had an answer and do so no more, for the beautiful name that the Normans gave to the Flaxley valley has been lost, though it remains authenticated in ancient deeds.

The above text is from “The Forest of Dean” by Brian Waters (publisher: Dent 1951)