Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0969 Raferagh, Monaghan

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database MO030-018001 (None)

NMR:  MO 030 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  675163  Y:  803982  (IRENET95)

Summary

In undulating terrain, circular contour fort with a total site footprint of approximately 0.5ha surrounds the summit of hilltop and overlooks the Mill Lough to E and a number of small feeder rivers to W, S and E. Univallate for the entire circuit with three simple entrance breaks, two at the NE and another in the E. The interior is divided by an arcing earth and stone bank that separates off the NE sector of the fort. Up to five rectangular structures are visible on the surface within the interior. Ramparts survive best at the NE side. Interior under pasture. Some tree cover over enclosing elements. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Survey by Brindley in 1986.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -762998  Y:  7166301  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -6.854128553434819  Latitude:  53.97963704910957  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Monaghan

Historic County:  Monaghan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Raferagh

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland   ✗
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✗
Pasture (Grazing)   ✓
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✓
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✗

Landscape

Hillfort Type

Contour fort surrounding summit of hilltop in undulating terrain overlooking Mill Lough to E and a number of small feeder river to W, S and E.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✓
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✓
Coastal Promontory   ✗
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Hilltop.

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  176.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Survey by Brindley in 1986.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   First edition 6 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.
Earthwork Survey (1906):   Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.
Other (1986):   Site survey by Brindley.

Interior Features

The interior is divided by a earth and stone bank cutting off an oval area of approximately 0.14ha at the NE sector of the fort. Up to five rectangular hut structures have been identified on the surface within the interior. Two are positioned at the NE where the internal bank divides the interior (Brindely 1986).

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

The interior is divided by a earth and stone bank cutting off an oval area of approximately 0.14ha at the NE sector of the fort. Up to five rectangular stone structures within interior.

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✗
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✓
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✓

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✓
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✗

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✗
None   ✓
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

Two entrance breaks in the enclosing elements. Entrance one is positioned at the NE sector and comprises a simple break as depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey mapping; a gap in the internal bank that separates the NE sector of the interior provides access into the rest of the interior. Brindely records another simple entrance at the E (1986).

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
3:   There is also an entrance through the bank separating the NE sector from the rest of the interior

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None
3. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Oval area defined by a single earthen bank. The interior is divided by a smaller earth and stone bank that separates off the NE sector of the interior (Brindely 1986).

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.34ha.
Total:   0.34ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.47ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✓
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✗

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✓
Stone Wall   ✗
Rubble   ✗
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (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   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✗   None

Number of Ditches:  0

Annex:
✗   None.

References

Brindely, A. 1986. Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan. The Stationary Office, Dublin.



Terms of Use

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


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