"A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by ...
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the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age.
Various mechanisms have been proposed for how holloways may have been formed, including erosion by water or traffic; the digging of embankments to assist with the herding of livestock; and the digging of double banks to mark the boundaries of estates. All of these mechanisms could apply in different cases." - (en.wikipedia.org 23.10.2023)