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Sites within Wade’s Stones
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Camden mentions the stones in his ‘Britannia’ of 1637:
Hard by, upon a steepe hill, howbeit betweene two others higher than it, toward the Sea, stood by report, the Castle of Wada a Saxon Duke, who in that confused Anarchy of the Northumbers, and massacre of Princes and Nobles, having combined with those that murdred King Ethered, gave battaile unto King Ardulph at Whalley in Lancashire: but with so disasterous successe, that after his owne power was discomfited and put to flight, himselfe was faine to flie: and afterwards by a languishing sicknesse ended his life; and heere within the hill betweene two entire and solid stones about seven foote high lieth entombed: which stones because they stand eleven foote asunder, the people doubt not to affirme, that hee was a mighty Giant.
F Ross’s 1892 ‘Legendary Yorkshire’ quotes John Leylande’s mention of the stones:
Leland says “Mongrave Castel standeth on a craggy hille, and on eche side of it is a hille far higher than that wheron the castel standeth. The north hille on the topp of it hath certain stones, commonly caul’d Wadda’s grave, whom the people there say to have bene a gigant and owner of Mongrave.”
“Some say his (Wade) grave is at Goldsborough where there is a standing stone called Wade’s Stone: others say it is at East Barnby where there is another Wade’s stone. The original two stones which were twelve feet apart have disappeared, and perhaps one of the remaining Wade’s stone was, at one time for his huge grave?
The two remaining Wade’s stones are a mile apart, but it would be a tremendous giant who was that tall... but if Wade really did build that causeway, if he did dig a handful of earth out of the Hole of Horcum and toss his hammer between Pickering and Mulgrave, then he could have been a mile high! Those two remaining stones might well be the extent of his grave”
Folk Tales From The North York Moors
Peter N. Walker
“Wade’s Stones near Lythe and Goldsborough are mentioned by Camden as being 7 feet high. They may have been tampered with for one near Lythe is now about 6 feet high; two near Goldborough about 100 feet apart are 3-4 feet high. Barrows in which food vessels have been found adjoin these stones, which derive their name from that fabulous giant, Wade, who so tradition says, was buried near them. Curiously enough, at the base of the Lythe stone, Mr Hornsby discovered an unburnt Anglian burial, probably that of a warrrior, for there were also remains of an iron spearhead.”
Early Man in North-East Yorkshire.
Frank Elgee
Pub. John Bellows
1930
Wade is supposed to be the local giant, his name crops up all over the North Yorkshire Moors. The Roman road that runs onto Wheeldale is known as Wade’s Causeway. This implies that the name of Wade came after the Romans had left our shores and vanished from the folk memory. Many of the sites attributed to Wade are in areas that were settled by the Danish vikings. It does not take a great leap of faith to transform Wade to Wodan.
That’s my theory for what it’s worth.
Mike Haigh’s Tale of Wade from Northern Earth