Comment Post

Re: Maiden Castle (N Yorks) by coldrum on Monday, 05 December 2011

From Pastscape:

"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."

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=48766

Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road