Excavation of Hobditch at Tapster Lane, Lapworth

1 E of Tapster Lane (SP168703) straight hedgerows continue the alignment of Hobditch to cross Lapworth Street.
2 1987: Excavation in advance of the construction of the M40 motorway confirmed that a continuous hedge at SP1670 overlay part of the Hobditch earthwork. The remains consisted of a ditch about 2.7m deep (measuring from the contemporary ground surface) with a bank on its N side. A smaller ?ditch to its N side was also investigated. The only find was a sherd of undatable pottery, but radiocarbon samples were taken.
3 Slight traces of this earthwork were also visible under plough to the W of Tapster Lane.
4 No significant quantities of charcoal were visible in the bank or the lower ditch fills so samples had to be collected from secondary contexts. Two samples were submitted to Harwell for C-14 dating. One was taken from the secondary recut of the small northern ditch, a chrcoally loam. A date of 2530+/-90 BP was obtained. This gives a calibrated range of 800-560 cal BC or 890-400 cal BC. The second, from the main ditch, did not contain sufficient carbon for C-14 analysis.