NHER 49707 (Cropmark and Earthwork record) - Bank and ditches in West Bilney Wood

December 2006. Field vist, including meeting with the Forestry Commission.
Located within West Bilney Wood, a plantation in the area of West Bilney Warren.
A bank with a ditch on both sides survives as earthworks. The bank ranges from 4m to 5m wide and is about 0.3m to 0.75m high. The ditches range in width from 0.75m to 1.5m. The bank and ditches define/enclose an irregularly shaped area. They are cut by a modern forestry track.
The northern section of the bank and ditches/enclosure (to the north of the foresty track) is marked as a boundary on the current Ordnance Survey map (S1). Both the northern and southern sections are shown on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch map (S2) and this demonstrates that the were constructed prior to the 1880s. Faden's map of 1797 does not show the enclosure. It shows a semi-circular plantation, Pentney Heath and Bilney Heath in the area.
The purpose of the bank and ditches is uncertain, but it is possible that they marked the outer boundary of an iregularly shaped wood/plantation. If so, the bank and ditches may predate the semi-circular plantation on Faden's map (S3).
D. Robertson (NLA), 12 December 2006.