Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database OF039-012 (None)
NMR: OF 039 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 618816 Y: 702193 (IRENET95)
Circular contour fort of approximately 0.8ha enclosed area in commanding position surrounding summit of a steep hilltop at E edge of Slieve Bloom Mountains. Site overlooks a number of tributaries of the Camcor River and is positioned 1.9km to the SW of Cumber Lower hillfort (Atlas No.0696). Bivallate for the entire circuit. Possible original entrance at WNW comprising a simple gap. Possible rectangular hut site at SW of interior. Ramparts survive best at the SE. Interior covered in dense scrub. Commercial forestry plantation abutting enclosing elements to N, E and W. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance survey mapping where the monument is apparent as a circular boundary. Also depicted as a circular boundary in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Recorded by O'Brien and Sweetman (1997) for the archaeological inventory of Co. Offaly.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -859301 Y: 6995961 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.719232952617154 Latitude: 53.070026357206714 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Offaly
Historic County: Offaly
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Ballymacmurragh
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Surrounded to the N, E and W by commercial forestry plantation.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Contour fort in commanding position surrounding summit of a steep hilltop, at E edge of Slieve Bloom Mountains. Site overlooks a number of tributary rivers feeding the Camcor River. Cumber Lower hillfort 1.9km to NE.
| 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: Steep hilltop.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 316.0m
A series of field boundaries traversing the hillfort interior form the townland boundaries of Ballymacmurragh, Clonlee and Cumber Lower.
Boundary Type: Parish/Townland
No dating evidence.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
First map depiction in first edition Ordnance survey mapping where the monument is apparent as a circular boundary. Also depicted as a circular boundary in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Recorded by O'Brien and Sweetman (1997) for the archaeological inventory of Co. Offaly.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | First edition 6 inch Ordnance Survey mapping. |
| Other (1906): | Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping. |
| Other (1997): | Site survey |
Possible rectangular enclosure at SW of interior.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Possible rectangular hut
| 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 4m wide gap in banks and causeway over ditches at WNW.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (West): | None |
Two closely spaced earthen banks with intervening and external ditches. Inner bank measures 1.1m wide and 1.1m in external height. Outer bank measures approximately 3m wide and 1m in external height. The intervening ditch is 1m wide and the external ditch is 0.5m wide. (O'Brien and Sweetman (1997).
| Area 1: | 0.57ha. |
| Total: | 0.57ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.81ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✓ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓ | Two narrow ditches. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None. |
O'Brien, C. and Sweetman, D. 1997. Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly. Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, 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