During the Iron Age, the Old Oswestry was built and acted as a stronghold and principal settlement for British tribes. It is in this period that Britain was divided into numerous tribal territories which makes Old Oswestry much more significant. It is believed that the site was used for almost 1,000 years. Once the hillfort was abandoned, the site was incorporated into the earthwork, Wat’s Dyke. It is one of multiple linear earthworks in the Welsh borders. Excavators suppose that it was built by King Offa in the 8th century to separate the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia from the British kingdoms of Wales. Also, it is rumored to be the birthplace of Queen Guinevere from the mythical story of King Arthur. The Old Oswestry was excavated by William Varley in 1939, but the information was not published until the 1990s. These specific excavations showed that the defensive ramparts of the site were not built at the same time which caused speculation that there were four distinct phases in the Old Oswestry’s development. Once the hillfort was abandoned, the site was incorporated into the earthwork, Wat’s Dyke. It is one of multiple linear earthworks in the Welsh borders. Excavators suppose that it was built by King Offa in the 8th century to separate the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia from the British kingdoms of Wales. Interestingly, Old Oswestry was used as a military training area for troops, who were based at the Park Hall camp at the time of World War I. The early archaeology of the site was damaged during its use as a training site.
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