ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 



KNEETON. The remains of an entrenchment lie to the west of the 

 village. The Fosse Way also passes the south-east boundary of the parish. 



LAXTON. On the common are a series of mounds of low elevation, rising 

 from two to two and a half feet from shallow ditches. They form a group of 

 five, with indications of extending further towards the west ; while a similar 

 bank occurs at a considerable distance to the south-east. Tradition is silent 

 respecting these mounds, and so far no satisfactory explanation has been 

 forthcoming. 



LOWDHAM. Fragments of works remain to the west of the village. 



MARNHAM. Indications of earthworks, probably flood banks, lie around 

 Low Marnham. 



MISSON. Remains of earthworks are on the east side of the village. 



MISTERTON. Bykersdyke. In the extreme north-east of the county is 

 an ancient dyke, rampart, or waterway, which, for over four miles, constitutes 

 the boundary between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Its object was to 

 connect the River Trent with the Idle, which at this point was only about 

 four miles distant to the west, and to make the site of Bawtry, on the Roman 

 road from Lincoln to York, an inland port ; and as such it continued 

 throughout the middle ages, and with varying fortunes until the introduction 

 of railways. 



This dyke is alluded to in the Domesday Survey, and mentioned in a 

 charter of John, earl of Mortain, about the year iiSg. 1 At some date 

 before the publication of Saxton's map in 1580 the dyke was duplicated 

 through higher ground about a mile further south, and designated the 'New 

 Bykersdyke.' The ancient dyke was straightened, and the county boundary 

 modified by the draining operations of Cornelius Vermuiden, under a patent 

 of Charles I, since which time it has lost its identity, and is replaced in its 

 west part by the comparatively modern ' Tindale bank,' while at its eastern 

 end the name has been altered to 'Heckdyke' or 'Hocdyke.' 



NOTTINGHAM. Connecting the camp of the Old Borough of Notting- 

 ham on the east and Nottingham Castle on the west, a strong vallum and 

 fosse enclosed the intervening ground the New Borough of Domesday on 

 its northern boundary, a distance of 1,690 ft. The eastern end was supported 

 by the entrenchments at the north-east corner of the old town, and making 

 a huge arc was supported on the west by the cliff at the northern extremity 

 of the prehistoric enclosure. 



When the Great Central Railway track was made across this site in 

 1898 the fosse was found to have been hewn out of the solid rock ; it was 

 over 30 ft. in width and 20 ft. in depth. 



RANSKILL. A strong rampart and ditch, which is also in the parish of 

 Scrooby, and described under that name. 



SCROOBY. Between Blyth and Scrooby, in the north of the county, 

 some three miles north of East Retford, is an important rampart and fosse, 

 trending nearly south to north. It is nearly one and a half miles in length, 

 and the fosse is used as a sunken road between the above villages. Its bank 

 on the west side is enclosed in Serlby Park, to which it forms the manor 

 boundary ; the east side is fairly evenly divided between the parishes of 

 Scrooby and Ranskill ; the lands in the latter parish belonged to the Saxon 



1 Records of the Borough of Nottingham, vol. i. 

 i 3 J 3 40 



