Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database ME013-012001 (None)
NMR: ME 013 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 693797 Y: 779995 (IRENET95)
This hillfort is positioned surrounding southern summit of ridge of hills, overlooking Devlin River and its tributaries. Circular in shape, it has a total site footprint of about 2.3ha. Univallate for the entire circuit, î R'ord_in (1956) has identified a possible original entrance at the NE. A possible prehistoric burial mound is located at the highest point within the interior. No evidence for any internal features on the surface that might be contemporary with the construction or occupation of the hillfort. Ramparts survive well at the E and S. The enclosing elements have been destroyed at the NE. First identified in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping, recorded as a circular boundary. Similarly depicted in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Site visited and recorded by î R'ord_in (1956) who identified it as a hillfort.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -732201 Y: 7125043 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.577469806790056 Latitude: 53.76110957315111 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Meath
Historic County: Meath
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Mountfortesque
The enclosing elements have been levelled at the NE.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
None
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Hillslope fort positioned surrounding southern summit of ridge of hills, with excellent views to E, S and W. Overlooking Devlin River and its tributaries. This river system feeds the Boyne River.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✓ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✓ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✓ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: South facing hill summit, as S edge of ridge of hills.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✓ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 213.0m
N/A
No dating evidence.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | Possible burial mound |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
First identified in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping, recorded as a circular boundary. Similarly depicted in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Site visited and recorded by î Rord_in (1956) who identified it as a hillfort.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | First edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch mapping. |
| Other (1906): | Recorded in second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1956): | Ó Ríordáin (1956) was the first to identified Mountfortesque as a hillfort. |
Mound positioned at highest point in interior. It measures 1.5m in height and 11m in diameter. Known locally as the 'cup and saucer' (î Rord_in 1956, 107). Mound is likely to predate the hillfort.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Probable prehistoric burial mound.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds | ✓ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✗ |
| None | ✓ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Simple gap in bank and causeway across external ditch at NE. Stone facing on both terminals (î Rord_in 1956).
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North east): | Recorded by Ó Ríordáin (1956). |
Univallate hillslope fort comprising a bank with a broad, rock-cut external ditch. The bank is largely composed of shale and earth from the digging of the ditch. In places, a counterscarp bank is present. The enclosing elements to the SE and E have been altered and incorporated into modern field systems (Ó Rord_in 1956).
| Area 1: | 1.97ha. |
| Total: | 1.97ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 2.29ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Depicted in first and second edition Ordnance Survey mapping as having a complete circuit. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Rock-cut ditch and earth and shale bank (Ó Rord_in 1956).
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✓ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None. |
Ó R'ord-in, S. 1956. Small hill-fort and tumulus on Mountfortesque. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 86. 106-107.
Sweetman, D. 1987. Archaeological Inventory of County Meath. The Stationary Office, Dublin.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1