Maiden Castle, North Yorkshire
Maiden Castle is a settlement in Grinton, North Yorkshire (grid reference SE02189808) which probably dates from the Iron Age. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1] The name Maiden Castle is not unique to the site and occurs in several other places in Britain and probably means a "fortification that looks impregnable" or one that has never been taken in battle.[2]
| Maiden Castle, North Yorkshire | |
|---|---|
 Earthworks at Maiden Castle | |
  Location within North Yorkshire | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Grinton, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 54.37826°N 1.967872°W |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 7,000 m2 (1.7 acres) |
The site measures 108 by 88 m (354 by 289 ft), covering about 7,000 m2 (1.7 acres), and is pear-shaped. An avenue leading to the entrance of the settlement is a unique feature. Maiden Castle has been described as a banjo enclosure due to its shape, however this description has been disputed.[1] If it is a banjo enclosure, it would be one of just two in northern England, the other being Fremington Dykes.[1]
The only dating evidence recovered from Maiden Castle is a "post-and-panel building" which is typologically similar to a structure discovered in Healaugh that has been dated to the late Iron Age or Romano-British periods.[1]
References
- Notes
- Historic England. "Maiden Castle (48766)". PastScape. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- Mills (1977), p. 377.
- Bibliography
- Mills, A.D. (1977), The Place-names of Dorset: Part I the Isle of Purbeck, the Hundreds of Rowbarrow, Hasler, Winfrith, Culliford Tree, Bere Regis, Barrow, Puddletown, St George, 52, English Place-name Society, p. 377, ISBN 0-904889-02-5