“We were shocked to discover such a huge complex,” said Alastair Oswald, archaeological field investigator for English Heritage. Preliminary examinations of the remains suggest it was more than twice the size of most other prehistoric strongholds. Built of timber palisades and girdled by a 1.3 mile circuit of ramparts, 60 per cent of which are cut out of solid limestone, the fort has been provisionally dated at 400BC.
Stanwick is very close to the Scotch Corner junction of the A1, close to Darlington. From Scotch Corner, take the A66 towards Barnard Castle for a couple of miles then take the right turn towards Forcett. The road will take you past part of the defences, at which point a left turn will take you to Stanwick St John Church, which is a suitable starting point for any visit.
For over five hundred years, the miners and smelters of Reeth produced mountains of precious lead. The lead ores from Reeth had high concentrations of Silver, Lead itself became and important ingredient in bronze. Maiden Castle, deep in the Swaledale lead mining territory a unique piece of Iron Age architecture. It is the only known fort with what seems to be a processional entrance.
A superbly circular “fort”, built on the side of the hill, which seems to be a Brigantian fashion (see below). This is built with two rampart walls and a very narrow ditch between – 1-2m. If these were defences, they seem pretty slight. In it’s way, a miniature version of Wandlebury, but only about 200m circumference.
The earthwork known in the National Trust inventory as East Witton Camp lies on the north-facing slope of Braithwaite Banks, only a couple of hundred metres uphill from Braithwaite Hall. It is a small, roughly oval Iron-Age enclosure that covers about two and a quarter acres (just under a hectare). We call Braithwaite Wood Fort Iron Age, but it’s actually undated, but its typology indicates a potential Iron Age origin.
This Iron Age Hill Fort is mostly unrecorded and minimal information is available. A site visit is required to further understand the nature of the site. Note that both this, Roulston and Mam Tor have been dated at around 400BC.
“The scale and function of the earthworks, which may comprise a rampart, a ditch and a counterscarp bank, is massive and assumed to be defensive though large univallate hillforts may have been built on the sites of earlier non-defensive enclosures such as slight univallate hillforts. In area large univallate hillforts vary between 1 and 10 hectares.
Castle Hill’s imposing silhouette hides a great prehistoric fort, Norman castle and Victorian tower. Thanks to Varley’s trenches and the 1995 RCHME survey we have a solid structural framework, yet key chronological pins, remain to be driven. It is therefore both a celebrated landmark for Huddersfield and a live research asset for Iron-Age, and medieval research.
Sep 28
Timeline 60BC – 138AD This timeline is focussed on the British Celtic culture and those cultures which had influence on the British Celts. It Read more Heads at St Michael, Kirklington An analysis of head carvings in a local area In many churches throughout England there are carvings of possible pagan Read more Cartimandua Yorkshire, …
Arka Unskel is 2½ miles ESE of Arisaig at NM693839 and has also been known as Arisaig Fort, Ard Ghaunsgoik and Ard Ghamhgail. Described as on a promontory on the north side of Loch nan Uamh with a heavily vitrified wall.
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