[2] It is located around 300 metres (980 ft) from Chirk Castle, at the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley and next to a public road (the B4500).

[1][2] A Welsh army under Owain Gwynedd inflicted a defeat upon the English king Henry II and forced him to retreat.

[5][6] Two or three parcels of land on either side of the dyke were also known as Tir y Beddau, land of the graves,[5] although one early 19th century account suggested that the place was also known as Adwy'r Bedwen, the gap of the birch tree.

[7] The tree has in recent years been promoted as a symbol of the Battle of Crogen, under the name "Oak at the Gate of the Dead", and in March 2009 a plaque was unveiled honouring this link.

[2][3] The oak is a well-known and valued local landmark and was one of the first trees in the world to have its own Facebook page.