Turf maze - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Historically, a turf maze is a labyrinth

Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

made by cutting a convoluted path into a level area of short grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

, turf

Sod

Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...

or lawn

Lawn

A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...

. Some had names such as Mizmaze
Mizmaze
Mizmaze is the name given to two of England's eight surviving historic turf mazes, and also to a third, presumably once similar site that is now merely a relic...

, Troy Town
Troy Town
Many turf mazes in England were named Troy Town, Troy-town or variations on that theme presumably because, in popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a confusing and complex way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find his way...

, The Walls of Troy, Julian's Bower
Julian's Bower
Julian's Bower or Julian Bower is a name which was given to turf mazes in several different parts of England. Only one of this name still exists, at Alkborough in North Lincolnshire...

, or Shepherd's Race (see Maze names, below). This is the type of maze referred to by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

(Act 2, Scene 2) when Titania says

"The nine men's morris
Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is an abstract strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire. The game is also known as Nine Man Morris, Mill, Mills, Merels, Merelles, and Merrills in English....

is fill'd up with mud;

and the quaint mazes in the wanton green,

for lack of tread are undistinguishable."

As a group they were (and still are) commonly known as "mazes", although some argue that "maze" and "labyrinth" should no longer be used interchangeably. Unlike a maze

Maze

A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...

, which is an entertaining puzzle

Puzzle

A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...

with many dead ends, a labyrinth is unicursal: it consists of one path which twists and turns but leads inevitably to the centre. In some turf labyrinths, the groove cut in the turf is the path to be walked (sometimes marked with bricks or gravel); more commonly the turf itself forms the raised path which is marked out by shallow channels excavated between its twists and turns.

Most British examples are based on one of two layouts: the Classical

Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...

or the later, more complex Medieval type which is derived from it.

Origins of the turf maze

The earliest known use of the classical labyrinth pattern in the British Isles is on the Hollywood Stone, an incised granite boulder from County Wicklow

County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, dating from c. 550 AD. There are two small classical labyrinths carved into the stone cliff face at Rocky Valley near Tintagel, Cornwall; various dates have been suggested for them, including the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

, the early 6th century and the late 17th century. The medieval pattern occurs on a carved wooden roof boss dating from the 15th century at St. Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

.

Although their patterns are clearly very ancient, there seems to be no reliable way of accurately dating a turf maze, because they have to be re-cut regularly to keep the design clear, which is liable to disturb any archaeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

evidence. A maze could pre-date its earliest written record by years or even centuries.

Historically, turf mazes were confined to Northern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, especially England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

and Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. Hundreds of similar labyrinths still exist elsewhere in Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

, Lappland, Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

and the former Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, but their paths were normally marked out with stones, either on grass or on flat areas of bare rock. Some of these stone labyrinths are very ancient.

A revival of interest in mazes and labyrinths in the late 20th century (fuelled by a growing fascination with Earth mysteries

Earth mysteries

The term Earth mysteries describes an interest in a wide range of spiritual, quasi-religious and pseudo-scientific ideas focusing on cultural and religious beliefs about the Earth, generally with regard to particular geographical locations of historical significance.The study of ley lines...

, as well as Land Art

Land art

Land art, Earthworks , or Earth art is an art movement which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked...

and Garden design

Garden design

Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise...

), has led to the construction of new turf mazes in the USA as well as Europe; some are very large and may incorporate wild flowers

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers may refer to:*another spelling of wildflowers, flowers that grow wild, meaning they were not intentionally seeded or planted*Wild Flowers , a 2000 Czech film*Wild Flowers , a 1980s British rock group...

or scented herb

Herb

Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...

s on banks between the paths. Some modern turf mazes follow traditional labyrinth patterns; others are more inventive and incorporate religious, heraldic

Heraldry

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

or other symbols appropriate to their site. They may also include dead ends and alternate pathways, thus qualifying as true mazes. Modern designs often have paved paths to keep their layouts clear and durable.

The purpose of turf mazes

There has been much speculation about why turf mazes were cut and what they were used for. Because many English examples follow the same medieval pattern used for pavement mazes in cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

s elsewhere in Europe (most notably Chartres

Cathedral of Chartres

The French medieval Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres is a Latin Rite Catholic cathedral located in Chartres, about southwest of Paris, is considered one of the finest examples of the French High Gothic style...

), it is often said they were used by penitents who would follow the paths on hands and knees, but there seems to be no documentary evidence for this. Some turf maze sites were close to religious establishments such as churches or abbey

Abbey

An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

s, but others were not.

Some mazes were on village green

Village green

A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...

s and were much used for entertainment by children and youths, particularly on "high days and holidays". The maze at Alkborough was used in the early 19th century for May Eve

Beltane

Beltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Old Irish Beltaine or Beltine , the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May.Bealtaine was historically a Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.Bealtaine...

games; at Boughton Green "treading the maze" was part of a three-day fair

Fair

A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...

, held between June 24—26 near the (now-ruined) church of St John the Baptist, to mark the vigil

Vigil

A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...

of its patron saint

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

.

Large turf mazes in Germany and Poland were used for processions at Whitsuntide

Pentecost

Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...

or as part of May celebrations

May Day

May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....

.

Many of the stone labyrinths around the Baltic

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

coast of Sweden were built by fishermen during rough weather and were believed to entrap evil spirit

Spirit

The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...

s, the "smågubbar" or "little people

Little people

Little people have been part of the folklore of many cultures in human history, including Ireland, Greece, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands, Flores Island, Indonesia, and Native Americans.-Native American folklore:...

" who brought bad luck. The fishermen would walk to the centre of the labyrinth, enticing the spirits to follow them, and then run out and put to sea.

Modern turf mazes have been made for a variety of reasons. Some are private and used to aid contemplation

Contemplation

The word contemplation comes from the Latin word contemplatio. Its root is also that of the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship, derived either from Proto-Indo-European base *tem- "to cut", and so a "place reserved or cut out" or...

or meditation

Meditation

Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

, much as a mandala

Mandala

Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...

would be. Others are tourist attraction

Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....

Maze names

Several English turf mazes were called "Troy", "Troy Town" or "The Walls of Troy". In Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, where the patterns were cut into the turf of hilltops by shepherds, they were known as "Caerdroia

Caerdroia

Caerdroia: the Welsh name for ancient Troy ; because of the similarity between Welsh troeau and the second element Troea , the name was later popularly interpreted as meaning "Fortress of Turns"...

" (unfortunately, no historic Welsh examples survive). "Caer" means wall, rampart, castle, fort, fortress, fastness or city, and the name has been translated as "City of Troy" (or possibly "castle of turns" ). In popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy

Troy

Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...

were constructed in such a complex way that any enemy who entered them would be unable to find their way out. Other common maze names such as "Julian's Bower" and "St Julian's" (and corrupted versions of these) could be derived from Julius, son of Aeneas

Aeneas

Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...

of Troy, and the word burgh, a place-name element which, like "caer", means a fortified place.

The Troy connection is also found in the names of Scandinavian stone-lined mazes of the classical labyrinth pattern: for instance, Trojaburg near Visby

Visby

-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...

on the Swedish island of Gotland

Gotland

Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...

. In Denmark

Denmark

, which once had dozens of turf mazes, the name "Trojborg" or "Trelleborg" was commonly used: no historic examples survive but replicas have been made. At Grothornet, in Vartdal

Vartdal

Vartdal is a former municipality in the current municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative centre was the village Sætre, which is also called Vartdal. The former municipality encompassed the northwestern part of present-day Ørsta, along the Vartdalsfjorden,...

in the Sunnmore Province of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

there is a stone-lined labyrinth called "Den Julianske Borg" ("Julian's castle").

Some German turf maze names suggest a link with Sweden: "Schwedenhieb" (Swede's cut), "Schwedenhugel" (Swede's hill), "Schwedenring" (Swede's ring), "Schwedengang" (Swede's path). Popular legend links them with the burial places of Swedish officers during the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

(1618–48) but they are also widely believed to be much older.

At Stolp, in Pomerania

Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, the "Windelbahn" ("coil-track"), a processional turf labyrinth, was used by the Shoemakers' Guild

Guild

A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

. The original was destroyed; a copy was made in 1935.

Historic turf mazes

Surviving English examples

As noted above, turf mazes are notoriously difficult to date, as they have to be recut periodically to keep the paths clear. Eight supposedly ancient turf mazes survive in England:

Alkborough
Alkborough
Alkborough is a village of about 455 people in North Lincolnshire, England, located near the northern end of The Cliff range of hills overlooking the Humber Estuary at the Trent Falls, the confluence of the River Trent and the River Ouse....

, North Lincolnshire: "Julian's Bower", "Gillian's Bore" or "Gilling Bore" (mentioned by Abraham de la Pryme
Abraham de la Pryme
Abraham de la Pryme was an English antiquary.Abraham de la Pryme was born to Huguenot parents, Matthias de la Pryme and Sarah Smague at Hatfield in 1671...

c. 1700)
Breamore
Breamore
Breamore is a village and civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The toponym is pronounced "Bremmer", not "Bree-moor" as might be supposed. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan...

, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

: "Miz-Maze" or "Mizmaze"
Dalby
Dalby-cum-Skewsby
Dalby-cum-Skewsby is a civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated around 14 miles north of York and comprises the hamlets of Dalby, Skewsby and Witherholm...

, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

: "City of Troy" at , described as the smallest turf maze in Europe.
Hilton, Cambridgeshire
Hilton, Cambridgeshire
Hilton is a village in Cambridgeshire, East Anglia, England, about 11 miles northwest of Cambridge. The parish adjoins the parishes of Elsworth, Fenstanton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey, Papworth Everard and Papworth St Agnes...

(cut in 1660)
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...

, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

(design with four "bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...

s"; recut in 1699; path is a narrow groove, marked with bricks in 1911)
Troy Farm, Somerton, Oxfordshire
Somerton, Oxfordshire
Somerton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, in the Cherwell valley about northwest of Bicester.-Early history:More than a dozen Saxon or early Mediaeval graves have been discovered in the yard of Somerton's former Free School....

: "Troy"
St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire
St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire
St. Catherine's Hill is a small but dramatic chalk hill to the south east of Winchester in Hampshire, England. Rising steeply some from the water meadows of the River Itchen, the summit of the hill at provides a fine view over Winchester....

, near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...

: "Miz-Maze" or "Mizmaze" (unusual square design; path is a narrow groove)
Wing, Rutland
Wing, Rutland
Wing is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.-Architecture:The 17th-century houses in Wing were built from stone quarried at nearby Barnack and Clipsham. Many are roofed with Collyweston stone slate....

: "The Old Maze"

There are two sites in the Isles of Scilly

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

where the paths of several labyrinths have been delineated with stones (as in Scandinavia):

Camperdizil Point, St Agnes
St Martin's
St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
St Martin's is the northernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom. It has an area of .-Description:There are three main settlements on the island - Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town - in addition to a number of scattered farms and cottages, with a total population of...

Lost British turf mazes

According to W.H. Matthews (Mazes and Labyrinths, 1922), turf mazes also used to exist at:

Appleby, Lincolnshire "Troy's Walls" (mentioned by Abraham de la Pryme c. 1700)
Asenby, North Yorkshire (extant but "ruinous" in 1908)
Ashwell, Bedfordshire (mentioned by William Stukeley
William Stukeley
William Stukeley FRS, FRCP, FSA was an English antiquarian who pioneered the archaeological investigation of the prehistoric monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, work for which he has been remembered as "probably... the most important of the early forerunners of the discipline of archaeology"...

in 18th century)
Bere Regis
Bere Regis
Bere Regis is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated north-west of Wareham.The village has one shop, a post office and two pubs, The Royal Oak and The Drax Arms. The parish church is St. John the Baptist Church...

, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
Boughton Green, near Boughton, Northamptonshire
Boughton, Northamptonshire
Boughton is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England, about from Northampton town centre along the A508 road between Northampton and Market Harborough. The parish area straddles both side of the road but the main part of the village is east...

"Shepherd Ring" or "Shepherd's Race" (unusual spiral centre. Extant 1849 but "neglected", destroyed by soldiers digging practise trenches during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

)
Dover's Hill near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden is a small market town within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its elegant terraced High Street, dating from the 14th century to the 17th century...

(mentioned by John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...

)
"Maiden Bower" on downs near Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
Clifton, Nottinghamshire
Clifton, Nottinghamshire
Clifton is a council estate and village in the city of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England founded by Sir Robert Clifton. The estate has a number of shop-clusters and relatively good transport links with the city and surrounding areas. The village is on the A453 which is the main connection...
Comberton, Cambridgeshire
Comberton
Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, just east of the Prime Meridian.-History:Archaeological finds, including a Neolithic polished stone axe and a Bronze Age barrow , suggest there has been a settlement here for thousands of years. A Roman villa was discovered...

(extant 1922, relocation of earlier maze, "The Mazles")
"Troy-town" near Dorchester, Dorset
Edenbridge, Kent
Edenbridge, Kent
Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" . It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden...

. Maps mark a "Troy Town" and "Troy Lane" at close to the Surrey/Kent border and about 2 km northwest of Edenbridge.
Egton, North Yorkshire, near Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...

(traces visible in 1872)
on Hilldown hill, between Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

and Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

"Troy-town"
Goathland, North Yorkshire "July Park" or "St Julian's"
Herefordshire Beacon
Herefordshire Beacon
The Herefordshire Beacon is one of the hills of the Malvern Hills.The name Malvern of the nearby town is probably derived from the Welsh moel fryn or "bare hill"....

in the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
Horncastle, Lincolnshire "Julian Bower" (mentioned by Stukeley in 18th century)
Leigh, Dorset
Leigh, Dorset
Leigh is a village in northwest Dorset, England, six miles southwest of Sherborne. The village has a population of 509 . In a field just south of the village lie the remains of the "Miz Maze", an earthwork of uncertain origin that, centuries ago, folklore attributes to having connections with...

(overgrown by 1868; a raised hexagonal earthwork remains)
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...

"Gelyan Bower" (mentioned in accounts of 1544)
Lyddington, Rutland
Lyddington
Lyddington is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. There are two public houses, The Marquess of Exeter and The Old White Hart....

(regarded by Matthews as doubtful)
Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...

, between Marfleet
Marfleet
Marfleet is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, near the A1033 road, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was served by Marfleet railway station on the Hull and Holderness Railway until it closed in 1964....

and Paull
Paull
Paull is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England lying on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, in an area known as Holderness...

, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...

(near Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

) "The Walls of Troy" (dodecagon
Dodecagon
In geometry, a dodecagon is any polygon with twelve sides and twelve angles.- Regular dodecagon :It usually refers to a regular dodecagon, having all sides of equal length and all angles equal to 150°...

al. Illustrated 1815)
Pimperne
Pimperne
Pimperne is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase two miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 995 ....

, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

"Troy-town" (unique design; described by John Aubrey; ploughed up 1730)
Putney Heath, Surrey
Wimbledon and Putney Commons
Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon south-west London, totalling 460 hectares . There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons...
Ripon, North Yorkshire
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...

(unusual spiral centre; ploughed up 1827)
marshes between Burgh, Cumbria and Rockliffe, Cumbria "The Walls of Troy" (extant 1883) and two others (one of them cut in 1815)
Sneinton, Nottinghamshire
Sneinton
Sneinton is a south-eastern suburb of Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Carlton to the north, Colwick to the south, Meadow Lane to the southwest and Bakersfield to the east.-Description:...

"Robin Hood's Race" or "Shepherd's Race" (unusual design with four bastions. Ploughed up February 1797)
Tadmarton Heath, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
Walmer, Kent
Walmer
Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent in England: located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is six miles north-east of Dover. Largely residential, its coastline and castle attract many visitors...

a "bower" or "Troy-town"
West Ashton, Wiltshire (mentioned by John Aubrey)
Westerham, Kent
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...

Matthews also mentions several locations where the existence of now-vanished turf mazes may be inferred from place names. In addition he states "They are also recorded as having existed in Wales and Scotland." It has been estimated that there may once have been as many as 80–100 turf mazes in Britain.

Historic turf mazes in Europe

Eilenriede forest, near Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

, West Germany "Das Rad" ("The Wheel") (processional type, with tree at centre and short-cut to exit; has existed since at least 1642)
Graitschen
Graitschen
Graitschen bei Bürgel is a small village in Saale-Holzland-Kreis, Germany. The village is near the mountain "Alter Gleisberg]]" with one of the most famous early hill settlements....

, near Camburg
Camburg
Camburg is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 18 km northeast of Jena, and 13 km southwest of Naumburg. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of the town Dornburg-Camburg....

, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

, East Germany "Schwedenhieb", "Schwedenhugel" or 'Schwedenring"
Steigra
Steigra
Steigra is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....

, near Querfurt
Querfurt
Querfurt a town in Saalekreis district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, situated in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg, on a branch line from Oberroblingen. Pop. 12,935 .-History:...

, Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

, East Germany "Schwedengang", "Schwedenring" or "Trojaburg"
Tibble near Anundshög
Anundshög
Anundshög is a tumulus near Västerås in Västmanland, the largest in Sweden. It has a diameter of and is about high.Assessments of the era of the mound vary between the Bronze Age and the late Iron Age...

, Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

"Trojienborg" (named on map of 1764)

Some modern turf mazes

(Note that not all are open to the public).

Greensboro, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

, USA (labyrinth by Sig Lonegren, 1986)
"Archbishop's Maze" Grey's Court, Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...

, Oxfordshire, England (by Randoll Coate
Randoll Coate
Gilbert Randoll Coate was a British diplomat, maze designer and "labyrinthologist".-Early life:The son of Charles Philip Coate, an expatriate businessman, Randoll Coate was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. After studying at the Collège de Lausanne he won a scholarship to Oriel College, Oxford,...

and Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading maze designers. His mazes can be found in all corners of the globe....

, 1981) (brick paths; a unicursal/multicursal hybrid)
Chenies Manor House, Chenies
Chenies
Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district....

, Buckinghamshire, England (unusual design based on painting of 1573; built by Denys Tweddell, 1983)
"Earth and Wild Flower Labyrinth", Tapton Park, Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

, Derbyshire, England (by Jim Buchanan, 1996; largest classical labyrinth in the world?)
Navano, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA (labyrinth by Alex Champion, 1987)
Cloisters of Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....

, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

, Norfolk, England (grass paths marked out with stone; by Jane Sunderland, 2002)
Parkfield, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...

, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

(gravel paths; made 1985)
Rose Hill Quarry, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

, Wales (gravel paths; by Bob Shaw, 1987)
Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. It is two miles north of Rotherham. It has a population of 18,210. The village also forms part of the Sheffield Urban Area.-Etymology:...

, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

(a small maze with gravel paths, 2010)
Oak Lane, Rougham
Rougham
Rougham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 152 in 69 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....

, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

, England (by Clare Higson, 1998)
Norton Museum of Art
Norton Museum of Art
The Norton Museum of Art is an art museum located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its collection includes over 5,000 works, with a concentration in European, American, and Chinese art as well as in contemporary art and photography.-History:...

, West Palm Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, USA, (by Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher
Adrian Fisher is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading maze designers. His mazes can be found in all corners of the globe....

, 1997)
"Seaton Millennium Labyrinth" Seaton, Devon
Seaton, Devon
Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other. Axmouth and Beer are nearby...

, England (2005)
Tofte Manor, Sharnebrook, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, England (Chartres replica with grass paths marked with stone; by Jeff Saward & Andy Wiggins, 2004)

External links

W.H.Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths (1922) online version
Labyrinthos Jeff Saward's website
Labyrinth Society
The Megalithic Portal
The Dalby maze at the Megalithic Portal
Labyrinth Locator (Veriditas & Labyrinth Society)

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