Castle Folds facts for kids
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 Castle Folds
Location in Eden
Castle Folds
Location in Cumbria
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| Location | Cumbria, England |
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| Coordinates | 54°28′41″N 2°32′25″W / 54.47808°N 2.54029°W |
| Type | hut circle settlement and shieling |
| History | |
| Periods | Roman Britain |
| Designated | 8 December 1938 |
| Reference no. | 1011141 |
Castle Folds (also called Castlesteads) was an ancient settlement in Cumbria, England. It was built by people living during the Roman times. This settlement was located on a rocky area called Great Asby Scar.
Later, in the Middle Ages, people used Castle Folds as a shieling. A shieling was a simple, temporary shelter. People would use these shelters during the summer months. They would stay there while their animals grazed in the high pastures.
Today, Castle Folds is mostly in ruins. But it is still very important! It is protected as a scheduled monument. This means it is a special historical site that must be preserved.
Contents
What Was Castle Folds Like?
Castle Folds was built on a small hill. This hill was part of the limestone pavement of Great Asby Scar. The settlement had strong walls all around it. These walls covered most of the hill.
On the western side, the walls were very thick. They were about eight feet (2.4 meters) wide! These thick walls made it hard for anyone to attack the settlement. The whole enclosed area was about 1.25 acres. That's about the size of a football field!
Inside the walls, there were about twelve stone huts. These huts were built right into the walls themselves. This left the middle part of the settlement open.
How Were the Walls Built?
The walls of Castle Folds were made in a special way. They used large, standing stone slabs called orthostats. These slabs formed the outer layers of the wall. The space between them was filled with rubble (broken rocks).
The walls were very tall. They would have had a top part called a parapet. This would have made the total height about thirteen feet (4 meters). This height was similar to the walls of a standard Roman vallum (a type of Roman fort wall).
The way the walls and huts were built was not typical Roman style. Some experts think Castle Folds might be an example of castella Brigantum. This means "forts of the Brigantes". The Brigantes were a powerful ancient British tribe.
Why Was It So Strong?
Castle Folds was very well protected. The strong walls, its high location, and the surrounding rocky ground made it a tough place to attack. It was much stronger than other settlements nearby. Those other places were only built to stop small raids or animal thefts.
Sadly, the outside stone slabs at the bottom of the walls are now missing. This suggests that the walls were likely destroyed by an enemy attack long ago.
Later Use as a Shieling
Much later, in medieval times, a shieling was built at Castle Folds. This shieling was a rectangular building. It was about 24 yards (22 meters) long and 10 yards (9 meters) wide. It was built right next to the south wall of the old settlement.
This shieling had a partition wall inside. This divided it into two separate rooms. People would have used these rooms for shelter during the summer.
Images for kids
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An aerial view of Castle Folds today.
