More information : "The bounds of the borough (of St Albans) were first recorded in 1327 although as early as 1142 its limits appear to have been defined by a ditch called Tonmans Dike which can still be traced". (1)
(Course, sited from plan, from TL 144076 - TL 147076 and TL 148067 - 151074). The earliest mention of the ditch as Tonman Ditch occurs in a document of 1327 describing the borough boundary. Tonman Ditch is mentioned again in a similar document of 1635 and is also named on Hare's map of the town of 1634.
The earthen bank associated with Tonman Ditch is still visible along the west side of Upper and Lower Marlborough Road and Keyfield Terrace.
The earthwork is in a very mutilated condition and the ditch must lie under the present roads. Excavations in 1975 at the White Hart Tap (TL 14950689) revealed the profile of the bank, but no secure dating evidence was found. (2)
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