NHER 3937 (Monument record) - Bichamditch or the Devil's Dyke

Section 990m (1080 yards) in length east of Three Cornered Plantations alone scheduled. Part destroyed, Devil's Ditch on Ordnance Survey. Earthwork presumed of Early Saxon date; Roman sherd found on top.
See (S1).
E. Rose (NAU) 5 August 1983.

Late 1978 or early 1979. Stray Find.
Roman pottery sherd found in molehill on northern end of Devil's Dyke, within Narborough Cricket Field.
Now recorded under NHER 3906.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 3 July 2018.

1997. Earthwork Survey.
Survey of northern end of the Bichamditch, so that advice could be given to the owners regarding tree planting. The other earthworks identified as a result of this survey are recorded under NHER 32793. The survey also examined the site of an ice house (NHER 3905).
See report (S1) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S2) and the survey is also noted in (S3).
P. Watkins (HES), 16 February 2014.

June 2000. Evaluation at 1 to 3 Chalk Lane [1].
Excavation of a single 25m long trench prior to residential development recorded two unstratified sherds of early medieval pottery and 23 late-19th to early-20th century pits and post-holes containing domestic rubbish related to the occupation of Nos 1-3 Chalk Lane.
No evidence of the Bicham ditch was encountered, but due to practical considerations the trench was placed approximately 5m west of the western edge of Chalk Lane.
See NHER 60065 for further details.
D. Gurney (NLA), 23 January 2002.
H. Hamilton (HES), 30 May 2014.

February 2012. Trial Trenching.
Two evaluation trenches were excavated along the roadside verge bordering Chalk Lane in order to investigate an earthwork bank located on the conjectural line of the Bichamditch (Devil's Dyke). Both trenches were placed partially on the earthwork bank and extended westwards into the arable field. The bank was found to survive to a depth of up to 1m and sealed a subsoil deposit which overlaid a north-south ditch. Documentary research has led to the interpretation of the bank as a likely wood bank while comparison with adjacent stratigraphy has led to the conclusion that the underlying ditch is likely of medieval date.
See NHER 56277 for further details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 30 May 2014.

August 2024. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetic gradiometer survey of proposed development site to west of Chalk Lane (TF 7496 1198).
This survey identified a number of north-north-east to south-south-west aligned linear anomalies close to Chalk Lane that potentially relate to this linear earthwork.
See report (S4) and NHER 56277 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 July 2026.

August 2025. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site to west of Chalk Lane (TF 7496 1198).
This work identified a substantial north-north-east to south-south-west aligned ditch that clearly corresponded with the previously identified geophysical anomalies. This was a maximum of 4.76m wide, up to 1.04m deep and contained fills likely to represent natural silting. The small number of finds recovered from the three excavated interventions included several prehistoric worked flints, two Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery sherds and an iron horseshoe of medieval/post-medieval date. At the southern end of the site two similarly-aligned but less substantial ditches lay immediately to the east of this feature. These also contained prehistoric worked flints and small amounts of Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery. The largest ditch must have been associated with a significant boundary and it is argued that it likely represented an element of the Birchamditch/Devil's Dyke linear earthwork. At least one of the excavated ditches does though potentially correspond with the western boundary of a narrow strip of land shown adjacent to Chalk Lane on the Narborough tithe map (S5).
See report (S6) and NHER 56277 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 July 2026.