Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WI026-009 (None)
NMR: WI 026 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 685711 Y: 687756 (IRENET95)
Near town of Baltinglass, irregular area defined by up to four enclosing elements with a total site footprint of approximately 1.8ha surrounding the domed summit of a low-rise hilltop in lowland terrain. This fort is positioned near the centre of the Baltinglass hillfort cluster, a confined group of large hillforts in the west extremity of the Wicklow Mountains. The site has a complex series of enclosing elements which were identified by O'Driscoll (2014). This survey revealed an entrance break piercing all four enclosing elements on the E, while another gap is apparent in the second enclosing element on the S. No evidence for any internal features is visible on the surface, but pits have been identified by geophysics. Ramparts have been completely levelled. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Site survey by Kilfeather and Grogan (1997). Geophysical survey by O'Driscoll (2014).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -748628 Y: 6970756 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.725037806633922 Latitude: 52.933766353941074 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wicklow
Historic County: Wicklow
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Rathmoon
Visible as a vegetation mark in aerial photography.
| 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 | ✗ |
Multiple enclosure surrounding the domed summit of indistinctive low-rise hilltop in lowland terrain. This fort is positioned near the centre of the Baltinglass hillfort cluster, a confined group of large hillforts in the west extremity of the Wicklow Mountains.
| 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: Low-rise hilltop
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 150.0m
N/A
None.
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. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Site survey by Kilfeather and Grogan (1997). Geophysical survey by O'Driscoll (2014).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | First edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch mapping. |
| Earthwork Survey (1906): | Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping. |
| Other (1997): | Site survey by Kilfeather and Grogan. |
| Geophysical Survey (2014): | Geophysical survey by O'Driscoll. |
No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Geophysical survey has identified an internal enclosing element distinct from the bank recorded by the Ordnance Survey in 1842 and 1906. This is also apparent in some aerial photographs. This is positioned at the highest point of the interior. Within this are a distinct cluster of small pit features (O'Driscoll 2014). A large pool of water is visible abutting the N section of the recorded enclosing element.
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 | ✗ |
Internal enclosing element and pits.
| 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 | ✗ |
Internal enclosing element.
| APs Not Checked | ✗ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Of the entrance gaps identified by geophysical survey (O'Driscoll 2014), four belong to a single entrance on the E and comprise simple breaks from 3m to 8m in width. A fifth break occurs at the S in the second enclosing element. More extensive destruction of the underlying archaeology in this area may be masking other entrance features.
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (East): | Through all four enclosing elements |
| 2. Simple Gap (South): | Through second enclosing element |
The Ordnance Survey recorded a single enclosing element that had a total site footprint of approximately 1.1ha. Aerial photography and geophysical survey has identified up to four enclosing elements, which lie both inside and outside the line of this enclosure. The innermost enclosing element was identified by geophysics and comprises an oval ditch (45m by 35m) surrounding the highest point of the interior. The second ditch is the recorded enclosure identified by the Ordnance Survey. It comprises a 5.5m wide bank and external ditch. The third enclosing element was recorded by geophysical survey. This consists of a ditch projecting 25m from the second ditch at the E. The ditch then follows the contours for the hill at the E and S and W. Forestry negated the continuation of survey at the W. The outermost enclosing element was again recorded by geophysical survey. This comprises a wide ditch extending 28m from the SE section of the third enclosing element. The ditch then follows the contours for the hilltop and continues from the E to N and extends into the plantation.
| Area 1: | 0.15ha. |
| Area 2: | 0.49ha. |
| Area 3: | 1.24ha. |
| Area 4: | 1.66ha. |
| Total: | 1.66ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 1.82ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SE Quadrant: | 4 |
| SW Quadrant: | 4 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 4 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 4
| ✗ | None. |
Kilfeather, A and Grogan, E. 1997. Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow. The Stationary Office, Dublin.
O'Driscoll, J. 2014 Unpublished Geophysical Survey Report: Rathmoon, Co. Wicklow. University College Cork, Dept of Archaeology.
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