I thought bowditch was Anglish for bolgia as in the ditches that the 9th circle of hell is divided into:

Noi passamm'oltre, e io e 'l duca mio,
su per lo scoglio infino in su l'altr'arco
che cuopre 'l fosso in che si paga il fio
a quei che scommettendo acquistan carco.
[Inferno. XXVII, 133ff.]

We onward went,
I and my leader, up along the rock,
Far as another arch, that overhangs
The foss, wherein the penalty is paid
Of those who load them with committed sin.
http://www.bartleby.com/20/127.html

We traveled on ahead, my guide and I,
Along the ridge as far as the next bridgeway
Arching the ditch where they must pay the price
Who earned such loads by sowing constant discord.
http://www.italianstudies.org/comedy/Inferno27.htm