Stanwick St John

Stanwick St John is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between the towns of Darlington and Richmond, close to Scotch Corner and the remains of the Roman fort and bridge at Piercebridge.

The name 'Stanwick' is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word 'steinvegges', meaning stone ways. It has been established that in 1225, Stanwick was known as 'Steinweg'; a contemporary document concerning a dispute over church revenue, which led to the church being attacked and the vicar barricading himself inside, refers to 'murder, fire and sacrilege within the church at Steinweg'.

Not much remains of the once thriving settlement at Stanwick except the parish church, the Church of St John The Baptist. The present church dates from the 13th century, although large sections of it were rebuilt during architect Anthony Salvin's major restoration of the building in 1867-8, which was executed under the auspices of the Dowager Duchess of Northumberland who lived at, the now demolished, Stanwick Park. The remains of a 9th centurycross-shaft in the tower and a number of carved stones set into the walls suggest an earlier building may have occupied the site. Its location in an unusual circular churchyard also hints at a possible pre-Norman conquest burial ground. The church has not held regular services since 1990, although it remains consecrated.

Completely surrounding the village of Stanwick St John are Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications, a huge Iron Age hill fort comprising six miles (10 km) of ditches and ramparts enclosing over 700 acres (2.8 km2) of land.

Some archaeologists and historians believe that these massive fortifications enclosed the ancient fort of Rigodunum, the capital of Brigantia, possibly occupied by Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, or her rival and ex-husband, Venutius .