Walkover Survey in Sherwood Forest Country Park

Walkover Survey in
Sherwood Forest County Park
Emily Gillott
May 2017
1
Report on walkover survey work carried out by volunteers and staff from
Nottinghamshire County Council over several years as part of the HLF
Sherwood Initiative project. Image on front cover is of two of the iconic
veteran oaks of the Birklands woodland.
Nottinghamshire Community Archaeology

Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall
Loughborough Road
West Bridgford
Nottinghamshire
NG2 7QP
Email: [email protected]
NGR: SK6206367927 centred on Major Oak
Written By Read by Signed off Report date

EG US US 2017
For the volunteers who made me smile; with hot
coffee in the pouring rain, with Halloween cakes, and
with ‘unerring’ sense of direction. Thank you for all
your hard work and all you brought to the project.
Contents
Page no.
Illustrations 1
1.0 Introduction 2
2.0 Aims and objectives 3
3.0 Site Location, Background and Geology 5
4.0 Archaeological and Historical Background 7

4.1 Previous Archaeological Work 11
5.0 Methodology 12
6.0 Results 14
6.1 Pits 14
6.2 Hollows and linear hollows 16
6.3 Ridge and furrow features 17
6.4 Banks 18
6.5 Mounds 19
6.6 The ‘Hayman Rooke’ enclosure 19
6.7 Victorian dump 20
6.8 Possible ponds 20
6.9 Other features 21
6.10 Veteran oaks and other trees 22
7.0 Conclusions 24
8.0 Recommendations 25
References 26
Appendix I – Map of main features 27
Appendix II – Database (extract) 28

Illustrations
Maps, tables and figures:
Page no.
Fig 1 Map showing HER data for the wider area. 3
Fig 2 The location of the Sherwood Forest NNR within the wider 5
landscape
Fig 3 Showing the outline of the study area 6
Fig 4 The 25 inch Country Series map (2nd edition) showing the 11
lines of trees that may represent distinct features.
Fig 5 Some of the main features within the woodland. 14
Fig 6 Chart showing the different proportions of dugouts as 15
recorded by the walkover survey.
Fig 7 Chart showing the different types of pre-20th century pit 15
recorded by the walkover survey.
Fig 8 Holloway features recorded in the woodland. 16
Fig 9 Shallow ‘ridge and furrow’ type earthworks in birch 18
woodland.
Fig 10 Survey volunteers stand on the bank and ditch of the 20
Hayman Rooke enclosure to illustrate the scale and form.
Fig 11 Graffiti on a veteran oak 22
Fig 12 Graffiti on a veteran oak 22
1
1.0 Introduction
The Sherwood Initiative was a large-scale Heritage Lottery funded project which
aimed to celebrate, protect and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the
historic Sherwood Forest area. Many sub-projects were carried out under the scheme.
This report provides an overview and summary of the work carried out to map
earthworks and other archaeological features within the County Council managed
Sherwood Forest County Park area. This part of the wider project was the first
extensive walkover survey of archaeology attempted within the park.
The work consisted of a protracted walkover survey which was carried out over several
years largely by volunteers under the supervision of staff from Nottinghamshire
County Council. Some follow-up work was carried out to accurately map and
characterise two specific features; a holloway in the south east of the country park,
and a sub-rectangular enclosure in the north west of the park.
Problems with retrieving the GPS data from the survey work have prevented a full
write-up and analysis of the survey but this document discusses the key aspects of the
survey, the results, and how the work can feed into information retrieved from much
more recent extensive survey techniques such as lidar imaging.
The survey recorded a significant number of archaeological features within the

woodland for which there was no prior information. Most of the features were as a
result of army training activities in the 20th century, but holloways, banks, boundary
markers, possible ponds and the previously mentioned large enclosure were also
recorded.
A great deal of credit for the work is due to the numerous volunteers who assisted
with the walkover surveys and without whom the project would not have been
possible. Particular thanks are given to Savannah Howard who produced the collated
database and statistical images.
2
2.0 Aims and Objectives
Areas of woodland are traditionally poorly researched and they represent 'blind spots'
within county Historic Environment Records. This is largely due to the impracticability
of access, the difficulty and seasonality of being able to spot archaeological features
in woodland, and the fact that features cannot be recorded from aerial photography.
The data from the National Mapping Project (NMP) illustrates this point perfectly (see
Fig 1). The NMP records numerous cropmarks, likely to be Roman in origin, in the
fields directly adjacent to the woodland. They appear to continue into the wooded
areas but for a long time it was not known whether they were traceable on the ground
within the woodland.
As a result there is a bias in data in the HER towards areas which are more accessible
or which may produce cropmarks. The walkover survey was designed to understand
how much new data could be recovered during a basic walkover survey of this historic
woodland.
Fig 1: Map showing HER data for the wider area which clearly shows the information
bias of woodland versus non-woodland areas. (© Crown copyright. All rights reserved
100019713, 2017)
The survey work would not only enhance the HER but also provide an insight into the
preservation and nature of archaeological features that may survive within the
extensive woodlands on the Nottingham Castle formation sandstones, thereby
helping inform land management and planning decisions.
3
The general aims of the archaeological survey were;
• A better understanding of the extent and preservation of archaeological

features within the woodland of the Sherwood Forest Country Park.
• To better understand the practicalities and limitations of carrying out survey

activities within woodland.
• To understand how well the HER reflected the archaeology of the area prior to
the survey, and how that could be enhanced following the survey.
• To enhance both the HER and on-site interpretation.
• To provide opportunities for local people to engage directly with their historic
environment and to contribute to a meaningful and valuable piece of
archaeological research.
• To promote awareness of different aspects of the heritage aspects of the site

and its significance within the wider context.
The specific objectives of the project were;
• To carry out a walkover survey of the council-managed Country Park area.
• To record archaeological features to an accuracy of a few metres.
• To provide an opportunity for volunteers to take part in examining and

researching a community asset, namely the archaeological remains of the
N.C.C. managed Country Park.
• To enhance the Nottinghamshire HER with data produced by the survey.
4
3.0 Site Location, Background and Geology
Fig 2: The location of the Sherwood Forest NNR within the wider landscape. (Image
from www.openstreetmap.org)
Sherwood Forest Country Park (now a National Nature Reserve) is an iconic piece of
Nottinghamshire heritage and landscape located 3km to the west of Ollerton and
directly north of Edwinstowe village. The survey area covers the Country Park area
(see Fig 3) which equates to just under half of the NNR. The reserve incorporates the
historic woodland of Birklands and part of Bilhaugh and is home to the famous Major
Oak; a veteran tree reckoned to be somewhere between 800 and 1000 years old. The
country park contains over 900 other veteran oaks and a mixture of woodland, wood
pasture and heathland habitats.
The underlying geology is the Nottingham Castle Sandstone Formation. To the south
and north are valleys formed by the Maun and Meden rivers respectively where
superficial alluvial deposits make the soil more fertile. The soil is mostly free-draining
and sandy with low fertility which may account for the extensive land-use as woodland
as the area is of low value for agriculture. There are two main dry valleys within the
country park which form part of the catchment of the Meden to the north.
The survey area is bounded by Edwinstowe parish boundary in the north, the B6034
in the east, a ride known as ‘The Neutral Ground’ or ‘Cross Ride’ in the west, and
Forestry Commission woodland to the south (see Fig 3).
5
Fig 3: Showing the outline of the study area within the NNR. (Image from
www.openstreetmap.org)
6
4.0 Archaeological and Historical Background
There is a lot of published information on the history of Sherwood Forest which, while
providing a broader context to the survey area, is not directly relevant and will
therefore not be replicated here. This survey was focussed largely on two formerly
enclosed woodlands known as ‘hays’, later incorporated within the country park,
which had once been only a small part of Sherwood Forest.
There are a number of popular misconceptions concerning Sherwood Forest; its

nature and extent. The main misconception is due to the disparity that has evolved
between the modern definition of a forest and the legal term used in the Medieval
period. The modern understanding of a forest is of a large area dominated by trees.
Large woodlands may be described as forests and the term is firmly bound up with the
presence of trees. The word comes from the Early Medieval Latin phrase 'forestis silva'
which is used to describe hunting land set 'outside of the common law'1. What this
meant in practical terms was that a forest was a large area that encompassed different
land-use, including woodland, ostensibly for the rearing and hunting of deer. Forests
were governed by separate rules that focussed on preserving the resources of the
Forest, of which timber was one of the most valuable, for the benefit of the Crown.
Herein lies the essence of the popular misinterpretation. When people are told that
Sherwood Forest once covered most of Nottinghamshire the natural assumption is
that this represented a vast woodland, perhaps even remnant of the prehistoric
wildwood, that has been progressively chopped down and cleared by successive
generations since the times of Richard 'the Lionheart' and our fabled Robin Hood. The
woodland at the country park is seen as a last remaining remnant of that vast sylvan
landscape. In reality the country park incorporates two hays, or enclosed woodlands,
of Medieval date that were part of an area covered by the Forest laws.
There is very little information on the Nottinghamshire HER for the project area but
extending the search area to approximately 2 miles from the centre of the study area
provides some insight from the context of the surrounding landscape, and therefore
hints of what the archaeological potential of the woodland might be. There are also
a number of historical maps and documents that contribute directly to our
understanding of the area and from which information has so far largely not been
synthesised. Some of those sources are examined as part of this report but would be
worthy of a more in-depth study.
Prehistory is represented in the records by a number of stray finds made to the east
of the study area towards Ollerton and particularly focussed around the Maun river
and its confluence with the Rainworth Water. A number of worked flints of
indeterminate (L8591, L11653) and Mesolithic (L5513) date are recorded. In the same
area a Bronze Age looped palstave axe is recorded. To the north near Perlethorpe a
Bronze Age ‘bowl barrow’ (Scheduled Monument 1003476) sits on a spur of high
ground above the Meden river. These indicate prehistoric activity in the vicinity of the
watercourses but doesn’t preclude there being activity elsewhere in the area. The
1
http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/forest.htm
7
study area predominantly occupies the ridge of land between the Meden and Maun
rivers. Within the area there are 2, now dry, valleys that form part of the catchment
of the Meden and could have been a focus for prehistoric occupation or usage.
A single Iron Age coin is recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database;
a stater of Gallo-Belgic origin dating to the period 100-60 BC (DENO-9A76E0). Two
Roman Republican denarii have also been found in the vicinity and are recorded on
the PAS database and both date to around 31 BC. It would be appealing to suggest
that these could represent evidence of Iron Age interactions abroad but that is unlikely
to be the case. This type of Roman coinage remained in circulation for an extremely
long period of time; in some cases as late as the 3rd century (YORYM-CC175A). When
this is coupled with the extensive evidence for Roman occupation in the area one must
question the path by which the non-native Iron Age stater came to be here, and at
what date.
The Roman period is comparatively well represented in the surrounding area; both by
finds of artefacts and coins and with extensive cropmark evidence for settlement. The
NNR sits within a greater area of cropmarks known as ‘brickwork’ plan field system
that stretches from Ollerton in Nottinghamshire to Rossington in South Yorkshire (see
L4139, L4140, L4143 and L4145 for examples adjacent to the study area). They were
studied by Derrick Riley (1980); work which has since been expanded on by Garton
(2008). These are cohesive landscapes of interconnecting field systems, trackways,
farmsteads and other enclosures. They are possibly Romano-British in origin with a
tendency towards the 2nd and 3rd centuries (Garton, 2008, 86). Iron Age pottery has
been recovered from features in this landscape but it is thought to be residual from
prior occupation as opposed to indicating a construction date. It has long been
appreciated that there is potential for upstanding remains of these field systems to be
preserved within the woodland of the NNR and others in the area.
A hoard of Roman coins was turned up by ploughing in 1910 in Edwinstowe parish

(L4093). A total of 369 coins were recovered, dating between 68 and 180 AD, which
had been contained in a ceramic vessel. At the time it was suspected that not all of
the coins had been recovered as the pot was broken in its discovery. In 1988 a further
32 coins were found (L3947), in an oval spread at approximately the same area as the
hoard, by metal detector. These had the same range of dates as the hoard and are
assumed to be residue from it.
A handful of other stray finds support the evidence for Roman habitation and include
brooches and other coins dating to the 1st to 3rd centuries. There are no known villas
in the vicinity but there is cropmark evidence suggesting a marching camp
approximately 2 miles to the north near Gleadthorpe Grange (M8709).
There are no records on the HER or PAS database relating to the Anglo-Saxon period.
The adjacent settlements of Edwinstowe, Budby and Ollerton all appear in the
Domesday Book of 1086 and so must have evolved prior to the date of this survey.
Place name evidence gives some insight into activity in the period. The main woodland
that constitutes the nature reserve is Birklands, meaning a small birch wood or grove.
8
Birch is a primary coloniser species and its presence as a defining feature in the
landscape when it was being named suggests that the area was in the initial stages of
being reclaimed by woodland. This would match the pattern of widespread clearance
for farming in the Roman period followed by a contraction of land-use and reversion
to woodland. We can suppose that the Anglo Saxon landscape in the area was one of
woodland pasture, based on the survival of a number of large spreading ‘pasture oaks’
into the 20th century. The most famous of these is now called the Major Oak and has
been dated to about 1000 years in age, and examples of similar trees in the area
include the Shambles Oak (destroyed by gales in the 1960’s) and Parliament Oak
(damaged but regenerating).
The personal name ‘Edwin’ within the place name Edwinstowe (literally ‘Edwin’s
place’2) may refer to the Anglo Saxon King Edwin of Northumbria, whose remains were
purportedly brought to the village following his death at the Battle of Hatfield in
632/633. Edwin’s Chapel (M3998), a chantry and hermitage dedicated to St Edwin,
once existed on the south west limit of Birklands towards Bradmer Hill. Its location
was identified in 1911 after which a cairn and cross were set up to commemorate the
site. This site does not fall within the study area.
It is not certain when the woodlands were first enclosed as hays, but they appear on
a number of Medieval documents. Birklands was created by enclosing woodland on
the higher, less fertile land, on the peripheries of the parishes of Edwinstowe, Budby
and Warsop. The woodlands were most likely enclosed with a woodbank and ditch,
and perhaps fencing or hedge.
Medieval (and later) perambulation documents provide suggestions of features that

could be identified on the ground. White’s ‘Dukery Records’ of 1904 details the
‘Boundes and Markes of the hayes and woodes of our Lorde the Kinge’ collated in the
17th century but possible from earlier material. Among these is the ‘Markes and
boundes of the Hay of Billaghe and Birklande’.
‘Begin at the first leap. From here go to the Oke in Halywell dale.
Go by the way to the last head of Halywelldale, and from thence
going to Thinghaw. From there go to Grinyshow and then to
Musmere and then to Burtninghed. From there go to the head
of Bilhaw towards the south. Go by the way that comes from
peuerell thorpe to depe waie and come unto the new milne. Go
from the new milne by the old haghe to the derne forthe. From
there go to the white stubbe, and from there to Prestewich.
From there go to the head of Bircklande to the first leap where
it began.’ (White, 1904, p408)
Aside from the place names, most of which can be located through map regression,
here are a number of features listed that may survive as earthworks or other
archaeological traces. These include the ‘leap’, ‘the way’ (which may exist as a
2
http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Nottinghamshire/Edwinstowe
9
Holloway), and the ‘milne’ or mill. Further detail can be gathered by examination of
perambulations of adjacent areas.
Historic mapping provides some of the most useful information on the study area.
Both the woodlands appear on the Belvoir Map of Sherwood, as ‘Birkelande’ and
‘Bylhaw’/’bilow’, which has been dated stylistically to the later 14th century. This
provides supporting evidence for the early and enclosure of these woodlands and
consistent land use. A number of other places that have disappeared from modern
mapping but appear on later perambulations also appear on this map. Place names
preserved in both the mapping and other documents can help us to interpret the
landscape and land use.
Chapman’s map of 1774 shows both woodlands as separate entities. He also

illustrates two main rides that run north-south and east-west within Birklands. These
have a number of different names on later maps. A north-south ride extending from
Thoresby Hall is also depicted within Bilhaugh.
A map of ‘the Hays of Birkland and Bilhagh’, surveyed by John Renishaw in 1791 and
now in the archives at Kew, shows much greater detail than Chapman. On this map
Birklands is shown divided by the rides into four quarters named for the adjacent
parishes of Warsop, Clipstone, Edwinstowe and Budby, and demonstrating how the
woodland resource is divided to provide for these settlements. He names the east-
west ride ‘Long Ride’ as well as depicting a number of sheep pens within the
woodland. He names some of the routeways such as ‘Nether Warsop Gate’ and
‘Gleadthorpe Dale’, and several ponds; ‘’Cabin Pool’, ‘Black Pool’ and Budby Pool’.
These may be natural features or more likely began life as watering holes for the
benefit of deer in places that were naturally wet. These have the potential to survive
as archaeological features. The area between the two woodlands is marked as
‘Gleadthorpe Open’.
One of the more intriguing aspects of this map is its reference to the Major Oak, which
is depicted and labelled as ‘a tree named Major Rooke’. Could it be that the modern
name corrupts from Major Rooke’s name rather than from the expression ‘the Major’s
oak’? Hayman Rooke’s ‘Descriptions and sketches of some Remarkable Oaks in the
Park at Welbeck’ was published in 1790; only a year prior to the surveying of this map.
Sanderson’s 1835 map shows a similar picture, but instead names the east-west ride
as ‘Broad Riding’. His map suggests that there is young or sparse woodland now
occupying the area between Birklands and Bilhaugh, and shows detail of a number of
routeways that criss-cross both, very few of which can be directly matched up to paths
on the modern mapping suggesting the potential for the preservation and discovery
of holloways.
The County Series maps show very similar pictures, but the routeways can be more
closely related to those depicted on the modern mapping, and much greater detail is
presented. Several of the veteran oaks are named including the Simon Forester oak,
though interestingly the Major Oak is labelled with the alternate name ‘Queen Oak’
10
on the 25inch series 2 (revised) map. The north-south ride is rather enigmatically
called ‘The Neutral Ground’. Lines of single trees that appear to represent specific
features rather than general depiction of woodland are shown in the area to the south
of the Major Oak (see Fig 4), which at this time is largely heath.
Fig 4: The 25 inch Country Series map (2nd edition) showing the lines of trees that may
represent distinct features.
The study area has changed little since the County Series maps were produced. The
main changes have been to the footpaths to cater for the number of visitors to the
park. Areas of woodland have also been fenced off and are now grazed by cattle.
One of the most significant factors, for the purposes of this survey, is that this
woodland has been in existence since early on in the Medieval period. This is
supported by the documentary evidence and the presence of such a large number of
veteran trees. This means the potential for earthworks of all dates being preserved is
increased.
4.1 Previous Archaeological Work
No other survey of this type had previously been carried out within the study area,
nor have there been any other archaeological interventions.
11
5.0 Methodology
Since the initial fieldwork methods and techniques have evolved, particularly with the
advent of lidar. Recent work by Steve Malone (2017, pp298-304) examined the area
of the Country Park using the 0.5m DTM (Digital Terrain Model). He demonstrated
that the Romano-British fieldwork systems visible in the adjacent cropmarks continue
into the woodland and survive as extensive upstanding earthworks. Some of the
features visible on this lidar data were recorded in the walkover survey.
If the survey were to be repeated today it would follow a different methodology that
would involve ‘ground truthing’ features observed on a high resolution Lidar image
(preferably <1m resolution DTM). At the time of the survey the Lidar data was not
available and so more traditional methods of extensive survey were utilised and
combined with basic GPS technology. However an opportunity is offered with this
survey to compare the results of an extensive walkover survey which was not guided
by lidar with high resolution Lidar imagery.
The survey work was carried out in the winter and spring months when the bracken
and other vegetation had died back in order to aid visibility. The lack of foliage cover
during these months also helped to improve the accuracy of the GPS readings. For the
fieldwork the survey area was divided into manageable compartments to aid a
systematic recording approach. Under the supervision of archaeologists from
Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) the volunteers walked the compartments in as
regular a fashion as was possible given the terrain and undergrowth. Volunteers
aimed to maintain a distance of around 5 metres from eachother, but in reality this
was often not possible.
Any features of archaeological interest were noted and recorded using a hand-held
navigation-grade GPS device attached to a tablet via Bluetooth. Initially the survey
had attempted to measure features using offsets from known locations and 50m tape
measures but this proved completely impractical. Testing of the GPS device by a GIS
officer from NCC proved the accuracy of the readings to be generally within 5-8m,
which was satisfactory for the basic walkover survey and with the technology available
at the time.
Basic information and a GPS coordinate were recorded for each feature. Most
features could be offered a broad interpretation, but there were many that were
simply described.
Initially this methodology proved very effective, but as more data was inputted to the
tablet problems developed. A considerable way into the fieldwork NCC staff noticed
that some of the data had become corrupt; datapoints had been renamed or swapped
around so that, for example, a holloway feature may display as a veteran oak when
the data was retrieved. Unfortunately there was no way of telling at what point this
had started happening, and how much of the data therefore was corrupt. It may yet
prove possible to disentangle the data, and if this is the case a reassessment that took
into account the Lidar data available would be worthwhile. It would be particularly
12
valuable to relate the features recorded by walkover survey to the features visible on
the Lidar data examined by Malone.
The survey data can also be compared to historic mapping and other documentary
and archaeological information to extract further information and interpretations.
13
6.0 Results
Over 800 features were recorded by the walkover survey. Most of these were
earthworks including pits, depressions, banks, holloways, ditches, and ridge and
furrow cultivation. The survey also recorded organic features, such as ancient coppice
or pollard trees, the stumps of veteran trees, and anomalous vegetation. Other
features recorded include a stone boundary marker and areas of hardcore or surfacing
material not relating to the modern management of the Country Park. It was possible
to provide a broad interpretation to many of the features, a large number of which
relate to army training activities within the woodland and can therefore be dated to
the first half of the 20th century. Local people recall playing around abandoned tanks
and other vehicles in the Country Park area in the 1950’s and 60’s3. It was not possible
to date most of the features that were not obviously part of these training activities.
Fig 5: Some of the main features within the woodland. This image is reproduced in
Appendix I at a larger scale. (Based on Ordnance Survey Material © Crown copyright.
All rights reserved 100019713, 2017)
6.1 Pits
Pits were the most frequently recorded category of earthwork with more than 250
individual features plotted by the GPS results. The vast majority of these appear to be
the result of the area being used for army training activities in the first half of the 20th
century. There are standard forms identifiable which can be ascribed to specific
activities. The most distinctive has been termed ‘army dugout’ for the purposes of
this survey. These are rectangular pits, generally around 2x4m, with banks set along
the long sides. Fig. 6 shows the proportions of the dugouts recorded. The majority of
3
http://www.ournottinghamshire.org.uk/page/tanks_at_edwinstowe?path=0p31p114p
14
these are likely to have been used for disguising vehicles, which were driven in to the
hollowed area and covered with camo netting. These ‘dugouts’ sit alongside the major
modern routeways in the woodland.
Dugout proportions
21% 4mx2m
37%
5mx2m
5mx3m
19%
Size unknown
23%
Fig 6: Chart showing the different proportions of dugouts as recorded by the walkover
survey.
Many of the smaller rectangular and sub-rectangular pits were clearly fairly modern
as the sides were still well-defined and had not been softened by weathering and
rotting leaf mould. Some of these may have been temporary ammo stores designed
to have a piece of corrugated iron placed over them to keep out the weather.
Many of the pits were clearly 20th century but no further interpretation could be
offered. Of the pits which were thought to be earlier than 20th century a large
proportion are labelled as 'sub-circular' (see Fig 7). Some of these may represent tree
'throws'; depressions left when a tree blows over.
Pre-20th century pits
Other
L' Shaped
Square
Sub-rectangular
Rectangular
Sub-circular
Circular
Pit (general)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Fig 7: Chart showing the different types of pre-20th century pit recorded by the
walkover survey.
15
6.2 Hollows and linear hollows
This is a fairly broad category of earthwork which includes all those recorded as
‘holloway’, ‘hollow’, ‘depression’, ‘ditch’, ‘linear hollow’, and ‘linear depression’.
Interpretation of most of these could not be offered beyond a basic description of the
character of the earthwork. Some were recorded as either ‘v’ or ‘u’ shaped, and where
a counterpart bank was evident this was recorded in the notes. The combined total
of all earthworks recorded with these terms is 110, although it must be noted that
some single features are recorded by several numbers due to their length and
obstructions such as undergrowth.
Fig 8: Holloway features recorded within the woodland. (Based on Ordnance Survey
Material © Crown copyright. All rights reserved 100019713, 2017)
A number of these were very clearly holloways representing former routeways

through the woodland. Most of them are ‘v’ shaped and represent footpaths and
bridleways as opposed to roadways. Comparison with the historic mapping allows
some of them to be associated with named routeways, such as ‘Budby Bridle Road’
and ‘Gleadthorpe Gate’ (1, 2 and 3 on Fig. 8 above). Both of these are depicted on the
1971 map and although they are still used as pathways it is clear from the survey data
and examination of the Lidar that the courses have meandered over time.
Further interpretation of many of these features was not possible and they have
simply been recorded as earthworks. While some of these may be natural the nature
of the geology in the area means that most are likely to be anthropogenic in origin.
The survey recorded evidence of a former, and much-altered, routeway from

Edwinstowe to Budby (4-7 on Fig. 8 above). This north-south trackway enters the
Country Park from the south near to the car parks where it is recorded as a slight ‘v’
shaped holloway running NW-SE. It continues to the north of a main modern pathway
16
into an area of tall oaks of a different character to the veterans. Here the holloway is
broad and deep on the slope, but becomes shallow and disappears completely as the
ground begins to level. From here and to the north there are numerous smaller
holloways that split and take two routes; one set continue to head north towards
Budby, while the other set curve westwards and appear to be heading to the Major
Oak clearing. This is likely to be a result of the early days of tourism when the Major
Oak became a popular local destination. It is posited that coaches brought visitors
from Edwinstowe along this road to Budby and parked in the area where there is now
no trace of holloway. The oaks may have been planted to enhance the landscape in
the vicinity. The braided holloways to the north are a combination of the routeway
up to Budby and the footpaths made by these early visitors to the Major Oak. The
routeway that continues north towards Budby is presumably older and can be traced
almost to the northern extent of the Country Park. In the north it sits adjacent to ridge
and furrow cultivation and seems to define the western extent of this cultivation (see
section 6.3). It may also represent the eastern limit of Birklands and this is supported
by the evidence presented on historic maps. This routeway is at least 18th century in
date and probably much earlier. It appears on the 1791 map but it unnamed. Its
course is approximately followed by a modern pathway except in the northern half
where the modern path has deviated considerably from the original course.
A number of other potential and probable holloways were identified by the survey.
Some of these run parallel to modern pathways. Others represent disused pathways
that may be traceable through map regression.
A ditch running east-west just outside of the survey area was recorded (A on Fig. 5) as
it was thought to be a continuation of a feature observed within the Park to the west.
See section 6.4 for further analysis of this feature.
6.3 Ridge and furrow features

Ridge and furrow type features were identified and recorded in a number of places
within the survey area (see Fig. 5). Some of these may represent forestry practices or
be a result of the army training activities, as opposed to being remnants of agricultural
exploitation. There are certainly some, however, that appear to be classic ridge-and
furrow earthworks.
In the south of the survey area haphazard and piecemeal remnants of broad ridge and
furrow cultivation were recorded. These are probably the result of assarting in the
Medieval period. They sit to the south of an east-west bank that is interpreted as
being a boundary of the enclosed woodland and the northern extent of this assarted
area.
The other significant area of ridge and furrow recorded by the survey is adjacent to
the holloway of the former route to Budby mentioned in the previous section. This
cultivation clearly predates many of the modern routeways as it extends beyond them
and has been interrupted by later activities. The western extent is defined by the
holloway representing a former track from Edwinstowe to Budby, so it is reasonable
17
to assume that the ridge and furrow was created while this former course was still in-
use. The exact dating of the cultivation is not certain but the area is covered by mature
trees which the earthworks must pre-date. The earthworks occupy an area between
the woods of Birklands and Bilhaugh and sit either side of a dry valley that runs east-
west and forms part of the catchment for the Meden river. This is unlikely to represent
permanent or long-term cultivation due to the limited water and low fertility of the
soil here, and is more likely to represent exploitation of marginal land in times of
hardship.
Several other areas of ‘ridge and furrow type’ earthworks were recorded but were
clearly not the remains of historic agricultural practices within the woodland. Some
of these are areas of narrow scrapes of uncertain origin and use. They may be to do
with conservation activities, forestry management (historic or modern), or army
training. Fig 9 shows some of the features of this type that were recorded.
Fig 9: Shallow ‘ridge and furrow’ type earthworks in birch woodland.
6.4 Banks
A total of 18 of the records refer to bank features, although some of these are different
sections of the same feature. The largest two are both east-west banks that stretch
for several hundred metres and are visible on the Lidar data analysed by Malone
(2017).
In the south of the survey area is a broad bank and associated ditch that extends for
over 600 metres (see Fig 5). It has been destroyed by the car park but is evident
outside of the survey area over the eastern side of Swinecote Lane). This bank is
probably of Medieval date and appears to mark a break in land use. It represents the
northern boundary of ridge and furrow cultivation between the woodland and
18
Edwinstowe. It also marks a notable change in the character of the veteran trees. The
veteran trees to the south of the bank are different to those in the rest of the Country
Park in that they show evidence of pollarding. These may be remnant pasture trees
or field boundaries.
On the northern edge of the survey area is another broad bank that marks the course
of the parish boundary between Edwinstowe and Budby. It is a broad low bank with
slight evidence of a ditch on the south side. Several other features were recorded in
association with it. An obelisk-shaped boundary stone, inscribed with the letter 'E'
(Edwinstowe) was noted on the south side of the bank adjacent to a young oak.
Stylistically this is likely to date from the 19th century. There are also 2 small-leaved
lime trees on this boundary, and given their absence in the rest of the woodland this
is unlikely to be coincidence. One of these small-leaved limes is a huge twin-trunked
tree sitting on the boundary bank. The girth of the tree at the base is massive and it
is clearly very old. At some point it was coppiced and the development of these twin
trunks, or standards, was encouraged. Both are approximately the same girth. This
tree has clearly been altered to become a boundary marker. This practice was
common historically but there are relatively few examples of it known in
Nottinghamshire.
Other banks may be the remnants of enclosures within the woodland, some of which
are shown on the historic mapping. A number of sheep pens are certainly depicted
on the 1791 map. Other banks may be remnants of historic woodland management,
but could be much earlier, as the work by Malone has demonstrated.
6.5 Mounds
A total of 4 'mound' type feature were recorded during the survey work. The most
significant is probably the large mound to the south between the Edwinstowe cricket
pitch and the woodland. It measures between 15 and 20 metres across and stands
around 1 metre high. The origin of this mound is not certain though it is already
recorded on the HER (L10455).
The other mounds appeared to be dumps of relatively modern material and probably
date to the 20th century.
6.6 The ‘Hayman Rooke’ enclosure

Potentially the most significant feature recorded during the survey work was a large
sub-rectangular enclosure in the north-west of the survey area. Rangers working at
the Country Park were aware of this feature and so it was known locally.
The enclosure covers an area of approximately 100m2 and sits on a promontory to the
north of one of the dry valleys within the survey area. The earthworks comprise a
broad ditch with evidence for a bank on the exterior sides. No internal features were
evident and the whole area is covered by mature oak woodland. Veteran oak trees sit
on the earthworks themselves which suggests it is at least Medieval in date.
19
At around the time this earthwork was being surveyed a separate piece of work by
NCC brought to light a sketch, drawn by Hayman Rooke, of a rectangular earthwork in
the Budby Quarter of Birklands. Although Rooke’s depiction was much more regular
than the plan produced for this survey it was immediately obvious that this was the
same feature. He describes the earthwork as having a ‘vallum’ which implies his
feeling was that the earthwork was Roman in date.
The scale of the enclosure does raise questions about its dating and interpretation.
One suggestion offered was that it may have been part of the logistical operations of
the Medieval Forest; perhaps a deer pound used for corralling deer (Gaunt, 2009, 18).
This was discounted for a number of reasons, but largely due to the lack of any steep-
sided ditch into which the deer could be driven and directed towards the enclosure.
On balance it seems that Major Rooke's dating of the feature as Roman may well be
more plausible. The form and orientation of the feature are broadly consistent with
the Romano-British field systems identified by Malone within the woodland, and it is
possible that this enclosure may relate to the Roman settlement and land-use in the
area. Further work on the earthworks could help to establish the date and purpose,
and could include soil coring, geophysical survey and trial trench excavation.
Fig 10: Survey volunteers stand on the bank and ditch of the Hayman Rooke enclosure
to illustrate the scale and form.
6.7 Victorian dump

To the north of the visitor centre is an area that was used as a dump for Edwinstowe
in the Victorian era. This was known of, but the extent had not been mapped. The
area was clearly evident by the vegetation growing on it. At the time of year it was
marked it was covered in nettles which grew much more densely over the dump than
in the surrounding area.
6.8 Possible ponds

At least two of the features marked could be artificial ponds, perhaps providing
watering holes for animals in the woodland. The largest and most convincing of these
is located in an area of woodland away from footpaths to the north of the Major Oak.
It comprises a broad and irregular hollow, which may be natural in origin, with a
20
smaller steep-sided interior hollow. Surveyors recorded that patches of clay were
visible in the smaller central hollow, which could represent clay lining for a pond. In
addition to the physical evidence there is a pond marked in this approximate location
on the 1791 map which is labelled ‘Budby Pool’. Occasionally this feature appears on
other historic maps. It is clearly evident on the Lidar imagery and sits on the side of a
dry valley rather than, as might be expected, in the bottom of it.
The date of this feature is uncertain, but the mapping evidence combined with the
veteran oaks growing within the feature could conceivably give it a Medieval date.
Further investigation through soil coring or test-pitting could explore this
interpretation by looking for evidence of the clay lining.
Two other possible ponds were recorded by the survey. The most convincing of these
is directly to the west of the Major Oak clearing, where a depression is visible on the
Lidar imagery. Anecdotal evidence from the volunteers and rangers at the country
park (Morley, A., pers. comm.) suggest that this was a pond but was filled in for safety
reasons in the early days of tourism to the area.
6.9 Other features

A number of other features were recorded during the survey (see Fig. 5). The course
of the supposed munitions railway (supporting the 1940’s army training activities in
the area) was traced for much of its course through Birklands. There is little physical
trace of this, but the hardcore that was laid down to support the tracks causes
differences in the vegetation that grows on it compared to the vegetation in the
surrounding area. The course is most evident through differences in vegetation in the
spring. A handful of metal stakes or pegs were observed along the course of the
railway. Their exact interpretation is not known, but they were clearly part of the
railway infrastructure.
Other 20th century features were also recorded. Some of these relate to the ‘tank
trackway’ that was created to bring vehicles into the woodland from the nearby
Proteus camp. The track was apparently formed by levelling the course first, piling
surplus earth along the sides of the track in banks, and then filling the centre with
hardcore and tarmac. It runs east-west from the Major Oak to Swinecote Road.
In the area between the cricket pitch and the visitor centre there was formerly a
displaced persons camp dating to World War II. This area has largely been reclaimed
by woodland but the survey recorded that there were still traces visible. Gravel and
tarmac surfaces were noted along with concrete, rubberised cable, pottery and other
20th century detritus.
A number of patches where vehicle tracks were visible have been recorded. Some of
these exist only as earthworks; others are also marked by lines of birch trees that have
germinated in the turned-over soil.
21
A flat area to the north-east of the visitor centre was noted during the survey. The
area appears to have been artificially levelled, but for what purpose and what date is
not known. The most likely suggestion is that it was levelled when the visitor centre
was constructed, given its proximity.
6.10 Veteran oaks and other trees

The locations of the tagged veteran oak trees were recorded during the survey. The
numbers recorded were taken from the most recent tags on the trees wherever
possible. In addition the survey recorded 7 veteran oaks that had no visible tags.
Trees that were subject to particular management practices were also recorded. This
includes pollarding and coppicing. A total of 7 veteran trees with this type of
treatment were recorded, the majority of which were to the south of the woodbank
recorded in the south of the project area.
Four stands of pines were recorded in the vicinity of the cricket pitch, and these
presumably represent ornamental planting from the last 200 years. A grove of yew
trees was marked near the visitor centre. Wood sorrel was also observed in the same
area. It is not known why there is a yew grove in this location.
Two small leaved lime trees were recorded on the Edwinstowe-Budby parish
boundary, one of which has twin standard trunks and is clearly a historic boundary
marker. See section 6.4 for more details.
Graffiti was noted on one of the veteran trees to the north of the visitor centre and
adjacent to Swinecote Road. This appears to be to work of soldiers training in the area
in the 1940’s, according to the inscriptions. Two list the date while the other lists what
may be a soldier’s number.
Fig 11 (left) and Fig 12 (above): graffiti on a

veteran oak.
22
In addition to marking the standing veterans the survey recorded fallen veterans and
stumps. In some cases it was recorded when the stumps appeared to have been the
result of anthropogenic action. In all 222 stumps were recorded and combined with
the standing veterans can be used to enhance understanding of the Medieval
woodland.
23
7.0 Conclusions
The walkover survey recorded over 800 new points of data within the woodland of
the country park. While some are of unknown date and interpretation many of them
can be ascribed approximate or relative dates, and some interpretations are possible.
It is clear that a woodland like Birklands has preserved a huge range of archaeological
features including earthworks that have been lost to agriculture, minerals extraction
and urban development elsewhere. The high-resolution Lidar data shows that there
are further earthworks not recorded by the walkover survey. While woodlands are
known to have potential for preservation of earthworks the concentration of
archaeological features within Birklands is remarkable and exceptional. This is due to
the early enclosure of the woodland and continued land-use, and to the types of
management practices employed within the woodland over the centuries.
It is worth noting that many of the boundaries within the wider area, including the
Edwinstowe - Budby parish boundary, are on the same alignment as the Romano-
British 'brickwork plan' field system identified by Malone (2017). This raises
interesting questions about both the level of continuity from the Roman landscape to
the Early Medieval period, and of the dating of the creation of the hay of Birkland. It
is possible to tie up some of the features within the survey area, and boundaries in
the wider landscape, to the Roman field systems suggesting perhaps that there was
no episode of total abandonment and later re-planning. This is different to the
evidence we see elsewhere in the county, particularly in the Trent Valley, where
Medieval field systems bear little relation to the Roman ones evident in crop marks.
Many of the archaeological features within the woodland are sensitive to damage due
in part to the soft sandstone geology. Management plans for the woodland should
take this into account and take steps to minimise the damage to the wealth of
archaeological information preserved within the woodland. The ‘Hayman Rooke’
enclosure in the north-west of the woodland is clearly significant and may represent
a rare upstanding survival of the Roman field systems characteristic of this area and
which usually only survive as cropmarks. As such it would be worth considering
whether Scheduling of the site would be a wise step to ensure its continued
protection.
24
8.0 Recommendations
It is recommended that future work should include;
• Comparison of the data recorded during this survey to the features observed
on new high-resolution Lidar imagery, accompanied by ground-truthing of
features visible on Lidar that weren’t recorded by the walkover survey. This
should be accompanied by an examination of the relative merits and downfalls
of each technique.
• Further assessment of the ‘Hayman Rooke’ enclosure could help to establish
better dating and interpretation of it. This work should include soil coring and
geophysical survey, which could potentially be followed-up with trial trench
excavation.
• Soil coring could be done at the presumed ‘Budby Pool’ to better understand
its formation and interpretation.
• Reassessment of the management plans for the NNR and country park to take
into account this new data and the archaeological significance of the area to
ensure that the features are preserved and, where appropriate, protected.
• Future interpretation material should seek to establish a better public
understanding of the archaeology of woodland and its significance within the
context of the wider area.
The archaeological remains within Birklands range from being locally significant to
potentially of national significance, and further protection should be considered
where appropriate.
25
References
Garton, D., 2008, The Romano-British Landscape of the Sherwood Sandstone of

Nottinghamshire: Fildwalking the Brickwork-plan Field-systems, Transactions of the
Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, Vol 112 (2008)
Gaunt, A., 2009, An Ancient Work in Birkland – A topographic survey of an earthwork

in Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve
Malone, S., 2017, Roman field system earthworks in the Birklands and Belhaugh
Hays, Nottinghamshire, Britannia Vol 48 pp298-304
Riley, D., 1980, Early Landscapes from the Air
White, R., 1904, The Dukery Records
26
Appendix I – Map of main features
27
Appendix II – Database (extract)
1 Holloway. Former pathway that disappears under the present car park. Area
covered in young-mature oaks.
2 Possible woodbank, linear earthwork bank, approx. e-w
3 Possible woodbank, linear earthwork bank approx. e-w
4 Modern bank. Probably created in the 1940's as part of the WWII displaced persons
camp.
5 Pit. Probably modern, c.1940's

6 Ditch or holloway. Age uncertain.
7 Ditch or holloway. Age uncertain. Disturbed in places.
11 Holloway. Slight. Age unknown.
12 Broad shallow holloway or ditch. Mature oaks and other trees in the area which may
help provide relative dating to the feature.
13 Holloway. Slight. Age unknown.
15 Area of ridge and furrow. The survey marked the tops of the ridges. Runs SW-NE
in mature oak woodland. Probably not earlier than late medieval.
27 Pit, age uncertain.
29 Linear hollow. Age and interpretation unknown.
30 Mound. Scots pine on top.
31 Square shallow depression, probably c. 1940's
32 Circular pit. Probably c. 1940's.
33 Sub-circular pit. Probably c. 1940's.
34 Shallow pit. Age and interpretation unknown.
35 Ancient untagged coppard oak, damaged in 2006.
36 Pit. Age and purpose unknown.
37 Pit. Age and purpose unknown.
38 Pit, probably c. 1940's.
39 Deep circular pit. Probably c. 1940's.
28
40 Large sub-rectangular enclosure comprising internal ditch and exterior bank, visible
clearly on 3 sides and with mature and veteran trees growing on the earthworks. To
be known as Hayman Rooke's Enclosure. (Note: This feature was recorded by
Major Hayman Rooke about 200 years ago. It is a squarish 'C' shape, in an area of
mature woodland. This feature was surveyed separately and a report is available
from Nottinghamshire County Council community archaeology. It is possible it is a
remnant or Romano-British earthworks that are largely only now visible as
cropmarks in fields.)
41 Untagged veteran stump
42 Untagged veteran stump. Appears to have been sawn down rather than fallen.
A30 Holloway or ditch, 'V' shape. Age and interpretation uncertain.

A36 Pit, 2m x 1m. Probably c. 1940's
A42 Pit, 2m x 2m. Sub-circular. Interpretation and age uncertain.
A44 Narrow bank. Appears fairly recent so is probably 1940's.
A45 Narrow bank. Appears fairly recent so is probably 1940's.
A47 Sub-circular hollow area. Approx 2m x 2m. Age and interpretation unknown.
A48 Pit. Sub-rectangular. Approx 3m x 6m. Age and interpretation uncertain.
A50 Pit. Sub-rectangular. Approx 3m x 6m. Age and interpretation uncertain.
A51 Holloway or ditch. 'U' shaped. Probably as a result of army training activities in the
area during the 1940's.
A52 Possible holloway. Might also be a recent path or result of vehicle tracks. Difficult
to say for certain.
A53 Holloway or ditch, 'V' shape. Age and interpretation uncertain, but it could possibly
be a remnant of vehicle tracks.
A54 Holloway or ditch, 'V' shape. Age and interpretation uncertain, but it could possibly
be a remnant of vehicle tracks. This feature is cut by feature A55, so using relative
dating this feature is older than A55.
A55 recent bank. Young birch is growing from it, suggesting that the bank could be
dated by the age of the birch. Probably part of the disturbance in the area from the
army training activities in the 1940's.
29

Walkover Survey in Sherwood Forest Country Park

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Walkover Survey in Sherwood Forest Country Park

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Walkover Survey in

Sherwood Forest County Park

Nottinghamshire Community Archaeology

NGR: SK6206367927 centred on Major Oak

Written By Read by Signed off Report date

2.0 Aims and objectives 3

3.0 Site Location, Background and Geology 5

4.0 Archaeological and Historical Background 7

Appendix I – Map of main features 27

Appendix II – Database (extract) 28

Maps, tables and figures:

The survey recorded a significant number of archaeological features within the

• A better understanding of the extent and preservation of archaeological

• To better understand the practicalities and limitations of carrying out survey

• To enhance both the HER and on-site interpretation.

• To promote awareness of different aspects of the heritage aspects of the site

The specific objectives of the project were;

• To carry out a walkover survey of the council-managed Country Park area.

• To record archaeological features to an accuracy of a few metres.

• To provide an opportunity for volunteers to take part in examining and

• To enhance the Nottinghamshire HER with data produced by the survey.

There are a number of popular misconceptions concerning Sherwood Forest; its

A hoard of Roman coins was turned up by ploughing in 1910 in Edwinstowe parish

Medieval (and later) perambulation documents provide suggestions of features that

Chapman’s map of 1774 shows both woodlands as separate entities. He also

4.1 Previous Archaeological Work

Pre-20th century pits

A number of these were very clearly holloways representing former routeways

The survey recorded evidence of a former, and much-altered, routeway from

6.3 Ridge and furrow features

Fig 9: Shallow ‘ridge and furrow’ type earthworks in birch woodland.

6.6 The ‘Hayman Rooke’ enclosure

6.7 Victorian dump

6.8 Possible ponds

6.9 Other features

6.10 Veteran oaks and other trees

Fig 11 (left) and Fig 12 (above): graffiti on a

It is recommended that future work should include;

Garton, D., 2008, The Romano-British Landscape of the Sherwood Sandstone of

Gaunt, A., 2009, An Ancient Work in Birkland – A topographic survey of an earthwork

Riley, D., 1980, Early Landscapes from the Air

White, R., 1904, The Dukery Records

5 Pit. Probably modern, c.1940's

A30 Holloway or ditch, 'V' shape. Age and interpretation uncertain.

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