The Court Circle Excavation at Thynghowe, Hanger Hill, Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. Archaeological Report 1. Summary
1.1 An excavation of earthworks in the vicinity of Hanger Hill, known historically as Thynghowe, was undertaken in April 2013. The excavation was carried out for the Friends of Thynghowe (FOT) by Mercian Archaeological Services CIC (Mercian). The excavation took place over 3 days from the 23rd -25th April 2013 alongside volunteers from FOT who sieved 100% of the spoil generated. There were a further 3 days of recording and excavation by Mercian. The work involved the hand excavation of one 10m x 1.5m trench at right angles to the central section of a curvilinear earthwork consisting of a bank and ditch and an adjacent trackway. The excavated trench lies to the northeast of Hanger Hill. The investigation was undertaken to investigate the nature of the earthwork; to understand its original shape and dimensions and the date of its origins and use. The excavations revealed that the bank and ditch were considerably larger than the visible surface remains suggested. Evidence from the excavation and the preceding topographic survey, LiDAR and historic mapping suggests the feature may have originally formed a circular enclosure with the bank on the inside of the ditch. Environmental analysis suggests the enclosure did not form a wood bank around an area of woodland. If the earthwork was originally circular the internal bank suggests the site was designed to limit access to an internal space. This function and the location of the feature in the extreme periphery of the Parish of Budby suggests that the excavated enclosure was associated with the possible Viking meeting site of Thynghowe which it is adjacent to. The only artefacts recovered from the excavation (except for CBM, a piece of iron, and pottery from the adjacent modern trackway) were Heat Shattered Pebbles. These seem to have been deposited after the ditch
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