Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1293 Carrowmoran, Sligo

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database SL012-050 (None)

NMR:  SL 012 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  545604  Y:  834320  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory is situated c. 2.5km NE of Dromore West, Co. Sligo, projecting N into Sligo Bay at an altitude of 4m OD. It is not depicted on any edition of the OS six-inch maps. The small, roughly trapezoidal interior measures c. 18m NW-SE by 5m NE-SW and is defined to the NW, N and E by high sea cliffs; the N end of the promontory has been much eroded by the sea. A low earthen bank, measuring 1.2m in width and 0.6m in external height, has been drawn across the neck on the SW, and is separated by a berm 2m in width from a wide, flat-bottomed, external ditch measuring 11.8m wide at the top and 5.2m wide at the base. It varies in depth from 1.65m to 3m. There is a break in the bank (Wth 3m) at the SE end, with an accompanying causeway across the ditch. There are no recorded internal features and the promontory is currently under pasture.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -983483  Y:  7218565  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.834778753402501  Latitude:  54.25481983500466  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Sligo

Historic County:  Sligo

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Carrowmoran

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

This small, roughly trapezoidal promontory projects N into Sligo Bay at an altitude of 4m OD and is defined to the NW, N and E by high sea cliffs.

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:  NE-facing promontory

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

Altitude:  4.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There is no dating available for the site.

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

Not marked as an antiquity on any edition of the OS 6-inch map.

Investigations:No related records

Interior Features

There are no recorded internal features

Water Source

None

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

Surface

None

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

There is a break in the bank (Wth 3m) at SE end, with an accompanying causeway across the ditch

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   It cannot be established without excavation whether this is an original feature.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South):   None

Enclosing Works

Access to the promontory from the SW is barred by a low bank of earth and stone (Wth 1.2m; int. H 0.5m; ext. H 0.6m), with a berm 2m in width separating it from a broad external ditch. The latter is flat-bottomed, measuring 11.8m wide at the top, 5.2m wide at the base, and varies in depth from 1.65m to 3m.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.04ha.
Total:   0.04ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.07ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   0
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:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

https://webgis.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/FlexViewer/



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


Document Version 1.1