Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WX050-015001 (None)
NMR: WX 050 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 680270 Y: 603220 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory is located c. 2km S of Fethard in Co. Wexford. Marked as ÇDundonnell (Donel's fort)' on the first edition (1841) OS six-inch map, the promontory, currently under pasture measures c. 170m E-W by from c. 14m N-S at E to 59m N-S at W. It projects E from the mainland into the sea at an altitude of 3m OD. The headland is defended to the W by an earthen bank that measures 4m in width and 1.7m high and runs N-S for c. 53m. It is associated with an external ditch (Wth at base 3-4m). A possible outer bank is also evident with a recorded width of 10m and height of 1.6m. At the S end there are two smaller ditches, which appear to be of earlier date (O'Conor 2003 22-4). An entrance was recorded by Wesropp through the outer and inner banks with a causeway over the ditch (1906, 257-8). A possible rectangular hut-platform was also noted by him measuring 6.4m by 4.7m within the interior of the fort. There are no other recorded features and the site is currently under pasture. In addition to the fort at the seaward extremity of the promontory, however, a linear earthwork comprising a bank (Wth 5m; int. H 1.6m; ext. H 2.2m) with a slight ditch (Wth 5m) separating it from an outer bank (Wth 6m; ext. H 2.2m; int. H 2.7m) cut across the neck of the promontory to the NW (WX050-015002), forming a much larger enclosure of some 8.3ha. Possibly relating to an encampment of Raymond le Gros in 1170, the date of this outer work is unknown.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -759912 Y: 6831820 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.826401486251831 Latitude: 52.17494869477343 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wexford
Historic County: Wexford
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Ramstown
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 projects E from the mainland into the sea at an elevation of 3m OD. The headland is defended to the W by an earthen bank that runs in a N-S direction for c. 53m and an external ditch (Wth at base 3-4m). A possible outer bank is also evident with a recorded width of 10m and height of 1.6m.
| 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: E-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✓ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 3.0m
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: | OConor (2003 22-4) identifies the remains of two small ditches at the S end beyond the line of the defensive earthworks. They appear to be cut by the massive earthworks, which suggests to him that the large visible works are secondary and might have been re-fortified by Raymond le Gros in 1170 prior to an attack by the Ostmen of Waterford and their Irish allies (ibid. 24-5). |
Marked as ÇDundonnell (Donel's fort)' on the first edition (1841) 6-inch map. Defences and interior features recorded by Westropp in 1906. The site was later visited for the compilation of the Wexford Archaeological Inventory (Moore 1996).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1841): | OS six-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1906): | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1989): | Moore |
| Earthwork Survey (2003): | O'Conner |
A possible rectangular hut-platform was noted by Westropp measuring 6.4m by 4.7m within the interior of the fort.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
A possible rectangular hut-platform
| 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 | ✗ |
An entrance was recorded by Wesropp through the outer and inner banks with a causeway over the ditch (1906, 257-8)
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (West): | None |
The fort is defended to the W by an earthen bank (Wth 4m; int. H 1.7m; ext. H 1.4m) and an external ditch (Wth at base 3-4m). A possible outer bank is also evident with a recorded width of 10m and height of 1.6m
| Area 1: | 0.6ha. |
| Area 2: | 8.3ha. |
| Total: | 8.3ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 8.5ha.
None
| ✗ | The defences extend well beyond the S margin of the promontory, which has evidently been heavily eroded. An outer earthwork to the NW may be unrelated but forms a much larger enclosure on the promontory |
| ✗ | This omits the outer earthworks to the NW |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 2 |
| 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: 1
| ✗ | None |
Moore, M. 1996. Archaeological inventory of County Waterford, 64-8. The stationary Office, Dublin.
Westropp, T. J. 1906. Notes on certain Promontory Forts in the counties of Waterford and Wexford. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 36 (3), 239-25.
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