Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WX044-002001 (None)
NMR: WX 044 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 669982 Y: 612842 (IRENET95)
This possible coastal promontory fort is located c. 2km NW of Ballyhack village in Co. Wexford. Marked as an ÇEntrenchment' on the first edition (1841) OS six-inch map, the promontory can be described as a roughly triangular area measuring c. 170m N-S by c. 170m E-W that barely projects N from the mainland into Nook Bay at altitude of 7m OD. The bay forms part of the estuary where the River Barrow meets Waterford Harbour, which bounds the headland with cliffs on the N and W, while on the E a steep grassy slope drops down to low, marshy fields with a stream and a shore that floods at high tide. On the S an earth and stone bank (Wth 9.5m; H 2m) and external ditch (Wth 5m; D 1.2) has been drawn across the neck in a broad arc. A slight berm measuring 1.5m in width is recorded between the base of the bank and the ditch, with evidence of stone cladding on the outer scarp of the ditch (Westropp 1918, 14-15). A fortified medieval church is recorded in the interior of the site (WX044-002002).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -776431 Y: 6847788 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.974801281133017 Latitude: 52.26282385692307 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wexford
Historic County: Wexford
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Nook
None
| 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 | ✗ |
This coastal promontory can be described as a roughly triangular area that barely projects N from the mainland into Nook Bay at an altitude of 7m OD. The natural defences are partly provided by the River Barrow at W with an earthen and stone bank (Wth 9.5m; H 2m) and outer ditch (Wth 5m; D 1.2) on S side.
| 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: N-facing promontory
| North | ✓ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 7.0m
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: | Fortified medieval church is recorded in the interior of the site (WX044-002002) |
Marked as an ÇEntrenchment' on the first edition (1841) OS six-inch map, the promontory was later surveyed by Westropp in 1918, who noted 'works running in a bold curve across the saddle of the ridge and down the western slope to the cliff'. He observed that the bank or mound was '21 to 24 feet thick, and rises 12 to 15 feet over the fosse and 6 to 8 over the field' (1918, 14). The site was later visited for the compilation of the Wexford Archaeological Inventory (Moore 1996).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1841): | First edition OS six-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1918): | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1988): | Moore |
A fortified medieval church is recorded in the interior of the site (WX044-002002)
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
These relate to Later Medieval period
| 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 | ✗ |
These relate to Later Medieval period
| APs Not Checked | ✗ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
A single gap is noted through the defences to the S on the aerial images.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The natural defences are enhanced with an earth and stone bank (Wth 9.5m; H 2m) and external ditch (Wth 5m; D 1.2) on S side. A slight berm measuring 1.5m in width is recorded between the base of the bank and the ditch with evidence of stone cladding on the outer edge of the ditch (Westropp 1918, 14-15)
| Area 1: | 1.89ha. |
| Total: | 1.89ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 2.14ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Earthen bank exhibited evidence of stone-facing
| 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: 1
| ✗ | None |
Moore, M. 1996. Archaeological inventory of County Wexford, 26. The stationary Office, Dublin.
Westropp, T.J. 1918. Five large earthworks in the barony of Shelburne, Co. Wexford. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 48, 14-15.
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