Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO118-014 (None)
NMR: CO 118 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 495645 Y: 546951 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory is situated c. 4.2km SW of Bantry town on the W coast of Co. Cork. The headland is directly S of the 'great yellow drift bank of Relane Point' (Westropp 1921, 103). It is not recorded as an entrenched headland on early editions of the OS six-inch maps. It can be described as a small rectangular mound with an external ditch on a low headland barely projecting W into Bantry Bay at an altitude of 6m OD. Westropp (1921,103) describes the neck on the landward side 'carved into a narrow gangway with a fosse'. The latter was 1.8m to 2.4m deep and about 2.7m wide at the bottom. The platform of the promontory is level, rising 4.5m to 6m over the neck. Westropp notes that this platform was stone faced, however the enclosing elements and interior have been heavily eroded since then. For example, the outer defences have disappeared and the Interior platform has diminished in size with no stone facing visible (Power et al. 1992).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -1058489 Y: 6739830 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -9.508570761122805 Latitude: 51.66529057474368 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cork
Historic County: Cork
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Dromclogh
While the fort is visibly extant, the interior has been heavily weathered and eroded since Westropp's survey in 1919. The defences described by him have been eroded and some have disappeared, and the interior has diminished in size. There is also no stone facing visible.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
The site is partially covered in short coastal grassland and scrub.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
The fort can be described as a small rectangular mound with an external fosse on a low headland barley projecting W into Bantry Bay. It is situated at an altitude of 6m OD with views of Whiddy Island to the N.
| 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: W-facing promontory.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 6.0m
N/A
There is no dating available for the site
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 |
Site is indicated on 1944 edition of OS 6-inch map. Recorded by Westropp rectangular mound with an external fosse on a low headland barely projecting W into Bantry Bay. He describes the neck 'carved into a narrow gangway with a fosse, 6 ft to 8 ft deep and about 9 ft wide below, at the landward end. The platform of the fort is level, 15 ft to 20 ft over the neck' (1921, 103). Subsequent visitation by the Cork Archaeological Survey in 1985 recorded that the site was much eroded and the defences were no longer visible (Power et al. 1992, 127).
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1921): | Thomas Westropp |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1944): | OS 6-inch mapping |
| Earthwork Survey (1985): | Cork Archaeological Survey |
There are no recorded internal features within the interior of the site.
A well is located c. 200m E of the site. Is depicted on the first edition 6-inch map of the area on the border of Dromclogh and Shanvallybeg townlands.
| 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 | ✗ |
There are no recorded entrances to the site. The defences have been heavily eroded since Westropps survey in 1919.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
There are no recorded ramparts/banks to the site. The interior consists of a steep sided level platform (evidence of stone-facing) that was defended from the headland by a deep ditch. The stone facing recorded by Westropp no longer survives.
| Area 1: | 0.06ha. |
| Total: | 0.06ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.06ha.
None
| ✗ | The interior of the site has been heavily eroded since Westropps survey in 1919 and as such, diminished in size. |
| ✗ | There are no recorded ramparts to the site. The interior consists of a steep sided level platform (evidence of stone-facing) that was defended from the headland by a deep ditch. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Stone facin to plaform noted by Westropp
| 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 |
| ✗ | The level platform was defended by a ditch, described by Westropp as 6ft to 8ft deep and about 9ft wide below at the landward side. This ditch no longer survives. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., and Sleeman, M. 1992. Archaeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1: West Cork, 126-130. The stationary Office, Dublin.
Westropp, T.J. 1921. The promontory forts of Beare and Bantry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 51, 1-16, 101-16.
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