An intermittent, low earthwork bank was recorded in this location in the winter of 1990-1. The feature was noted during a programme of archaeological field walking, conducted to inform the proposed dualling of the A46 road between Newark and Lincoln. The earthwork follows the former Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire county boundary, and likely acted as a boundary marker. It likely dates to before the current road line was laid out in the early post-medieval period, possibly marking the original line of the Roman road in this area, although its exact origin remains unknown. The narrow strip of land that was created by the laying out of the post-medieval route is named as Gallows Nooking Common on the 1790 Enclosure map for this area. {1} Two trial trenches were excavated across the earthwork bank in 1991, to inform the proposed widening of the A46 road between Lincoln and Newark. The trenches were located on either side of Folly Lane, adjacent to the A46 at Gallows Nooking Common. It had been suggested that the bank had earlier origins, marking the original alignment of the Roman Fosse Way, although no trace of the former Roman road was identified in the trenches. The bank was shown to be badly disturbed, and although redeposited sherds of Iron Age, Roman, medieval and post-medieval pottery were recovered, it remains undated. Further ditches were identified running parallel to the bank, some stretches of which have been identified as post-medieval, and others being Iron Age in origin. It was suggested that the possible bank and ditch system perhaps represents a sequence of construction of territorial boundaries dating from the Iron Age to the Anglo-Saxon or medieval period, although this interpretation remains tentative. {2} A further trial trench was excavated across the earthwork bank in 2001, to again inform the proposed widening of the A46 road between Lincoln and Newark. The trench was located approximately 100m to the north-east of the previous trenches, and allowed a profile of the bank to be made. The bank was again shown to be very badly disturbed by roots and animal burrows, and although redeposited sherds of Roman and post-medieval pottery were recovered, its exact origin remains uncertain. Further ditches, thought likely to be continuations of the Iron Age and post-medieval ditches previously identified, were again identified running parallel to the bank. {3} William Stukeley wrote an account of his journey down the Fosse Way in the early 18th century, travelling from Lincoln to Newark. He drew sketches of some of the places he passed, including one showing the area around Potter Hill, on the county boundary between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The drawing is dated the 7th of September 1722, and appears to have been sketched in a location very close to this linear bank. The scene shows the straight course of the Fosse Way as it passed through Brough (Notts), with Newark visible in the distance. Potter Hill is depicted as a large earthwork mound in the foreground of the drawing. {4}