| Maiden Castle | |
|---|---|
 Earthworks at Maiden Castle | |
  Location within North Yorkshire | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Grinton, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 54°22′42″N1°58′04″W / 54.37826°N 1.967872°W |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 7,000 m2 (1.7 acres) |
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 monument. [1] [2] 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. [3]
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]