The monks of Rufford had license "to erect a certain bank between their Beskall Wood and the village of Wellow"… The line is named Scotland Bank on the modern OS 6in map. There is no bank visible at the W end; further E It is clearly visible at the N edge of New Park Wood. On level ground it is thrown up from both sides, the 2 ditches being about 2ft deep, and the distance between their outer margins about 15ft. It probably ran originally as far as the Wellow-Eakring road, for a wide grass track still runs from New Park Wood to that point. (1)

Earthwork does not appear on County Series - "Scotland Bank" is the name of the wood. (2) (3)

This earthwork could be associated instead with the later park boundary, or Roy's Bridge Lane which ran alongside the park boundary (Barley's "wide grass track"). (4)

From the visible morphology the likely interpretation for this feature would be that it forms part of the landscaping marking the boundary between the Rufford estate and Wellow. (5)

Grid ref for conjectual W end.

<1> Barley MW, 1957, Nottm Med Studies, pp 86-7 (Published document). SNT263.

<2> OS, 1919, 1:2500, County Series 1919 (Map). SNT1028.

Other Refs: 24/5

<3> OS, 1920, 1:2500, County Series 1920 (Map). SNT1029.

Other Refs: 24/1

<4> Baddeley V, 2014, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT2620.

<5> Hannah Shaw & Lucy Fletcher, 2016, Rufford Abbey, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire: Historic Landscape Baseline (Unpublished document). SNT5795.