Castle Folds

Ancient fortified settlement in England

Castle Folds

Castle Folds

Location in Eden, Cumbria

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Castle Folds

Location in Cumbria, England

Show map of Cumbria

Location| Cumbria, England
grid reference NY6501409305
Coordinates| 54°28′41″N 2°32′25″W﻿ / ﻿54.47808°N 2.54029°W﻿ / 54.47808; -2.54029
Type| hut circle settlement and shieling
History
Periods| Roman Britain

Scheduled monument

Designated| 8 December 1938[1]
Reference no.| 1011141[1]

Castle Folds or Castlesteads was a Romano-British walled settlement on Great Asby Scar – an area of limestone pavement in the parish of Asby, Cumbria, England. In medieval times, it was used as a shieling – a temporary summer shelter. It is now in ruins but is protected as a scheduled monument.[2]

## Construction

[edit]

The settlement covered most of a small knoll on the limestone pavement of the scar. A walled enclosure surrounded most of the knoll and, on the western side, the eight-foot thick walls extended the steep escarpment of the knoll to form a significant obstacle. The area enclosed is about 1.25 acres (0.51 ha). There were about a dozen stone huts built into the walls of the enclosure so that the central space was open.[3]

The wall was constructed from orthostats – standing stone slabs – which enclosed rubble. A parapet would have made the wall's height about thirteen feet in total – comparable with a standard Roman vallum. The construction of the walls and huts is not Roman in pattern and R. G. Collingwood suggested that this was an example of the castella Brigantum (forts of the Brigantes), which appear in the work of Juvenal.[4]

The substantial wall, elevation and surrounding stone pavement made the settlement well-fortified and better protected than other comparable settlements, which only aimed to deter light raids and thefts of stock. The outside slabs at the base of the wall have all been ripped out which indicates that the wall was destroyed by hostile action.[1]

The later medieval shieling was a rectangle of about 24 by 10 yards (21.9 m × 9.1 m) next to the south wall. There was a partition wall making it into two rooms.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Historic England (10 March 1994). "Castle Folds Romano-British defended stone hut circle settlement and medieval shieling (1011141)". National Heritage List for England.
2. ^ "Castle Folds", Gatehouse, 26 July 2017
3. ^ "Asby", An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Westmorland, London, 1936, pp. 15–20`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
4. ^ I. A. Richmond (1933), "Castle Folds by Great Asby" (PDF), Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, 33 (2): 233–237, doi:10.5284/1063165

## Further reading

[edit]

* N. J. Higham; G. D. B. Jones (1975), "Frontier, Forts and Farmers : Cumbrian Aerial Survey 1974–5", Archaeological Journal, 132 (1): 16–53, doi:10.1080/00665983.1975.11077578

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English Heritage sites in Cumbria

Dating from Neolithic/Bronze Age|

* Castlerigg Stone Circle
* King Arthur's Round Table
* Mayburgh Henge

Dating from Roman Britain|

* Ambleside Roman Fort
* Hadrian's Wall (including Banks East Turret, Birdoswald Roman Fort, Brougham Roman fort, Castle Folds, Hare Hill, Harrows Scar Milecastle and Wall, King's Stables (Milecastle 48), Leahill Turret and Piper Sike Turret, Pike Hill Signal Tower, Willowford Wall Turrets and Bridge)
* Hardknott Roman Fort
* Ravenglass Roman Bath House

Dating from the Middle Ages|

* Bow Bridge
* Brough Castle
* Brougham Castle
* Carlisle Castle
* Clifton Hall
* Furness Abbey
* Lanercost Priory
* Penrith Castle
* Piel Castle
* Shap Abbey
* Wetheral Priory Gatehouse

Dating from the 17th century onwards|

* Countess Pillar
* Stott Park Bobbin Mill

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