Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WI013-001 (None)
NMR: WI 013 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 725213 Y: 710151 (IRENET95)
Oval shaped partial contour fort surrounding the domed summit of Downshill. In commanding position at edge of the Glen of the Downs and overlooking the Wicklow coastline to the E. Coolagad hillfort (Atlas No.0719) positioned 2.8km to NE. Univallate for its entire circuit, it has a total footprint of approximately 6.7ha. There are no recorded entrance features. No evidence for any internal features on the surface. The ramparts have been damaged by recent forestry harvesting. Interior also severely damaged by deep ridge and furrow associated with tree felling. Earliest map detection in 1906 second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Trial excavation of enclosing elements in 2007 by University College Dublin. No dateable artifacts were recovered.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -682281 Y: 7006557 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.129038449044231 Latitude: 53.12717805402891 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wicklow
Historic County: Wicklow
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Downshill
Partially extant but heavily affected by forestry in places. Forestry track truncating enclosing elements at E.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Commercial woodland recently harvested. Interior now overgrown with scrub.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✓ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Oval shaped partial contour fort surrounding the domed summit of Downshill. Steep slopes to N, E and S with gentler slopes to W (Grogan and Kilfeather 1997, 42). Hillfort rampart follows contours at N and W before running down slope at E and following a lower contour to the SW. In commanding position at edge of the Glen of the Downs and overlooking the Wicklow coastline to the E.
| 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: Domed hilltop.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 372.0m
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: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
Earliest map detection in 1906 second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Identified as an oval field boundary. Monument survey by Grogan and Kilfeather (1997, 41 - 42). In 2007 two test trenches were opened across the bank and ditch on the N and W sides of enclosing elements as part of a research excavation carried out by University College Dublin. No dateable artifacts were recovered.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1906): | Second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. |
| Other (1997): | Monument survey by Grogan and Kilfeather. |
| Excavation (2007): | O'Neill. |
No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Forestry within interior has recently been harvested, damaging the interior and leaving deep ridge and furrow marks.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| 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 | ✗ |
No obvious entrance features recorded.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
Oval area defined by an earthen bank 5m wide and 1.6m high. The bank is faced with stone, although this is probably not original (Grogan and Kilfeather 1997, 42). External ditch 4m wide was discovered during ploughing at SE.
| Area 1: | 6.43ha. |
| Total: | 6.43ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 6.66ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Likely formed complete circuit. Ploughing at SE revealed a ditch feature which is likely to be the continuation of the enclosing elements. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| 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 | ✗ |
Stone facing probably not original
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Excavated by O'Neill in 2007. No published information relating to excavation.
| 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 |
| ✗ | External ditch. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None. |
Grogan, E. and Kilfeather, A. 1997. Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow. 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