Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/511

 IX THE NORTH KIDINO OF YORKSHIRE. 345 Grendon Church, on the west bank of the stream which falls into the Swale at that place. The object of the work seems to have been the enclosure of a large space bj taking advantage of the confluence of the stream with a small affluent, a little above which point the entrenchment is finished ; the rest of the plan seems never to have been carried out. No tradition was collected respecting the age of these remains, but as they are situated in a fork where two rills meet, either this, or the greater fork at the confluence of the Arkle and Swale, has, probably, in early times given name to the parish ; and Grendon may possibly be derived from Grein, Danish for fork, and diai, a fortress or hill. Though Maiden Castle, and the works at Catterick, are out of the triangidar district, they are sufiiciently near to be connected with the works of defence within it. CATTERICK. The churchyard of Catterick has apparently formed the Interior of an ancient camp. Its position, where the course of a small stream had pre- served an 0})cning through the steep banks excavated hj the waters of the Swale, and had so formed the ground as to have rendered it easily capable of defence, must readily have caught the attention of any one in search of a site for temporary encampment. The triangular promontory was probably cut off by one of those deep trenches which the ancients were in the habit of making, where nature had already cut the principal outline, and where generally a com- manding view and an ample supply of water were obtained. The village of Catterick had a further advantage of posi- tion by being on the great northern road over the Swale,^ at the most accessible ford on that stream, after its course through the rocky and picturesque reaches below Richmond. Traces of the commencement and termination of the deep trench may not, perhajis, be very well made out at the present day ; but the conformation of the ground, and the hollow where the present street runs on the west of the Parsonage, and round on the north of it and the church, ^ The Swale may have derived its name from Scali'-, — ;/enth stream. Norse, or Danish. VOL, VI. 3 A