Games - Troy Town

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Many turf mazes in England were named Troy Town, Troy-town or variations on that theme (such as Troy, The City of Troy Troy's Walls or The Walls of Troy) 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 their way out. Welsh hilltop turf mazes (none of which now exist) were called "Caerdroia", which can be translated as "City of Troy" (or perhaps "castle of turns").

In his Mazes and Labyrinths, published in 1922, W. H. Matthews gives the name as "Troy-town". More recent writers (such as Adrian Fisher, in The Art of the Maze, 1990) prefer "Troy Town".

The name "Troy" has been associated with labyrinths from ancient times. An Etruscan terracotta wine-jar from Tragliatella, Italy, shows a seven-ring labyrinth marked with the word TRUIA (Troy). To its left, two armed soldiers appear to be riding out of the labyrinth on horseback, while on the right two couples are shown copulating. The vase dates from about 630 BC.

Historic "Troy" turf mazes in England

Of the eight surviving historic turf mazes in England, two have "Troy" names. "The City of Troy" is a small but well-maintained roadside maze near the small villages of Dalby, Brandsby, and Skewsby, not far from Sheriff Hutton in the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire. "Troy", a beautiful maze in a private garden at Troy Farm, Somerton, Oxfordshire is rather larger. Both follow the classical labyrinth pattern (as found on coins from ancient Knossos) rather than the medieval variation. Unfortunately it is not known when these turf mazes were first constructed.

Surviving examples

Roadside near Dalby, North Yorkshire "The City of Troy" (Seven-ring)
Troy Farm, Somerton, near Banbury, Oxfordshire "Troy" (Fifteen-ring)

Lost examples

(From W.H. Matthews' Mazes and Labyrinths 1922)

"Troy-town" near Dorchester, Dorset
On Hilldown, a hill between Farnham and Guildford, Surrey "Troy-town"
Holderness, between Marfleet and Paull, East Riding of Yorkshire (near Kingston upon Hull) "The Walls of Troy" (this had a unique dodecagonal layout; illustrated 1815)
Pimperne, Dorset "Troy-town" (unique design, roughly triangular, with paths winding apparently at random; described by antiquary John Aubrey in 1686; ploughed up 1730)
In the marshes between Burgh and Rockliffe, Cumbria "The Walls of Troy" (extant 1883) and two other turf mazes (one of them cut in 1815)
Walmer, Kent a "bower" or "Troy-town"

Parallels in Scandinavia

Several similar classical-type labyrinths in Scandinavia have names such as Trojaborg, Trojaburg, Trojborg, "Tröborg" and Trojienborg, which can all be translated as "City of Troy". (The place-name Trelleborg, which means "ring fort", has also been linked with labyrinths.)

There were once many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of these labyrinths throughout Scandinavia, especially in Sweden, and many of them still survive, particularly in remote areas. Their paths are outlined with stones (unlike the turf-cut mazes of England, and those which formerly existed in Denmark). Stone-lined labyrinths such as these have proved slightly easier to date than turf mazes (which have to be cleaned out regularly to keep their paths clear, thus destroying any archaeological evidence). The stone labyrinths around the Baltic coast have been dated to between the 13th century and modern times, with a peak in the 16th and 17th centuries.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Troy Town ]

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