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MAIDEN CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Late prehistoric, possibly Iron Age, settlement comprising a sub-rectangular earthwork enclosure with a stone-built avenue entering from the east.

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SE 02189808 Maiden Castle (NAT) Earthwork (NR). (1)

Maiden Castle: roughly circular enclosure consisting of a bank and ditch and covering 1 3/4 acres, with a stone avenue about 120 yds long entering form the east. Not considered a defensive work. Plan. (2, 2a)

Visible on air photographs. (3, 3a)

Grinton, Maiden Castle. Scheduled ancient monument. (4)

"At Reeth in Swaledale there are two large dykes (SE 09 NW 13, 14, 15) spanning the valley and facing downstream. Behind these banks is the camp called Maiden Castle which is probably related to the dykes, and while no fixed date can yet be given to this complex, it seems likely that they are post-Roman rather than pre-Roman. Tor Dyke (SD 97 NE 1) at the head of Coverdale may be a similar feature". (5)

Situated upon north facing valley slopes and overlooking the confluence of two major valleys to the north east are the well preserved remains of a 'pear-shaped' Iron Age fort measuring 108.0m east to west by 88.0m north to south between wall centres (see illust). The site would appear to have been chosen to utilize the spread of a natural stream gulley which has created a 'hollow' in the hillside and which has been subsequently levelled.

This area has been enclosed by a substantial surrounding ditch and inner rampart upon which are the footings of a stone wall. On the south side the ditch has been cut across the natural steep slope giving the exaggerated appearance of a massive inner rampart and in the south west the natural gulley has been truncated by the enclosing work. There are no traces of an external bank or wall although a predominantly earthen bank emanates from the west side of the ditch and runs along the crest of the gulley, terminating at its head. This bank would appear to be contemporary with the fort although not of a very defensive nature.

Access to the fort is in the east, where rough excavation has revealed large corner and facing stones forming an entrance 5.0m wide. A length of banking and short stretch of wall facing on the internal south side of the entrance may be the remains of some form of enclosure for gateway protection. This entrance is approached by a now tumbled, probably contemporary stone-walled avenue 114.0m long and averaging 6.0m wide between inner faces.

Within the interior of the fort, and slightly scarped into the inner rampart, are the remains of a stone founded hut circle 'A', 11.0m overall diameter, 0.4m high with no definite traces of an entrance. An amorphous stony platform 20.0m to the south west, also slightly scarped into the inner rampart, may be a possible hut stance. In the west slight scooping is evident but dense bracken prevented effective interpretation, and it may be obscuring further hut sites.

There is a similarity in size and construction of the ditch and bank of this fort and those of the linear type earthworks which cross the valley to the north east (SE 09 NW 13, 14, 15) and on the higher slopes to the south and south east (SE 09 NW 17, 18), and as suggested by authority 5 the whole complex would appear to be inter-related.

Surveyed at 1:2500. (6)

Maiden Castle is a banjo enclosure, one of only two known in the north of England. An area 320 by 240ft is defined by massive earthworks, including a ditch up to 9 ft deep and an internal rampart of rubble with coursed dry stone facing. Its hill slope situation precludes a military function and it probably served as a cattle enclosure and defended homestead. Challis and Harding although describing it in an article on Iron Age enclosures found no dating evidence and suggest it may be post Roman and related to the nearby Reeth and Fremington dykes. (7, 8 and 8a).

SE 0220 9809. Maiden Castle prehistoric defended settlement and adjacent round barrow. Scheduled RSM No 24535. (9)

Maiden Castle and adjacent cairns (SE 09 NW 11 and 30) were surveyed at 1:1000 (with a profile of the enclosure from N to S at 1:500) by the RCHME in April 1996.

The description by Authority 6 is essentially correct. The enclosing ditch is up to 4m deep, though generally 2.0-2.5m. Such is the slope on which the enclosure is set that on the S side the counterscarp of the ditch is 3m higher than the crest of the rampart, rendering the site indefensible; for that reason classification as a fort is extremely dubious. Some scarps in the flat interior bear superficial resemblance to circular house platforms. The probable stone hut near the entrance described by Authority 6 has a possible door to the E and there may be another stone house to its E. The construction technique of this possible house is reminiscent of the 'post-and-panel' structure of late Iron Age/Romano-British date excavated at Healaugh (10a). Stone is visible all around the rampart but there is a noticeably greater quantity towards the E end of the site. Remains of a small rectangular stone structure of late date can be seen at the rear of the N rampart. The earthwork noted by Authority 6 to the W of the enclosure demarcates a path or small hollow way ascending the hillside and may be of much later date.

The avenue leading to the entrance is a unique feature. The linear mounds which form it are up to 1.5m high despite their vulnerability. An inner wall face is intermittently visible in the N mound. The avenue has probably been added to the enclosure, though possibly at an early date; structurally it is quite different from the enclosure. The amount of tumbled stone, particularly near the enclosure entrance, suggests that it was a large structure.

Contra Authorities 7-8a this is not a banjo enclosure. The resemblance to that class of monument is merely superficial. Any connection with the Fremington Dykes, as suggested by Authorities 5-8a, remains to be proven, as does a connection with field systems of probably late prehistoric date which lie to E and W (10b).

The only dating evidence for this site is that offered by the small section of possible 'post-and-panel' building mentioned above.

Further details and a discussion of the site are included in the report that accompanies the RCHME plan. (10)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1957

( 2a) General reference

Whitaker, T 1823 An History of Richmondshire (2 vols) London

( 2) edited by William Page 1912 The Victoria history of the county of York, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England (EH Armitage & DH Montgomerie) Page(s)65

( 3a) Aerial photograph

(RAF 106G/UK/1421 3144-5 15.4.46)

( 3) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 4) General reference

National Park Guide No 9: Yorkshire Dales (ed IG Simmons) 1973 80

( 5) General reference

National Park Guide No 9: Yorkshire Dales (ed IG Simmons) 1973 26 (J Radley)

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 SA 02-AUG-1977

( 7) by A J Challis and D W Harding 1975 Later prehistory from the Trent to the Tyne

BAR British series1 (1974) - 20(i-ii) Page(s)137-8

( 8a) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 8) by A J Challis and D W Harding 1975 Later prehistory from the Trent to the Tyne

BAR British series1 (1974) - 20(i-ii) Page(s)52

( 9) Scheduled Monument Notification

English Heritage Scheduling Amendment 21/7/1995

(10) Field Investigators Comments

Mark Bowden/19-JUL-1996/RCHME: Maiden Castle Swaledale Survey

(10a) General reference

Fleming, A and Laurie, T 1989 Swaledale Ancient Land Boundaries Project 6th Interim Report

(10b) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

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