Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1962 Knockadoon (Warren), Cork

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO078-033 (None)

NMR:  CO 078 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  603554  Y:  568702  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory is situated c. 5km NE of Shanagarry in SE Cork. Known locally as 'the lios', a common placename for Early Medieval ringforts in Ireland. It is shown on the first edition OS six-inch map and measures about 21m E-W by 20.5m N-S on the W side of a stream gully, where it cuts through the clay cliffs above the rocky foreshore. Westropp (1921, 109-110) describes a 'curved fosse' to N and W through which a lane ran to the rocky shore below. Ditch is now eroded on the W side but still extant to the N, where the landward side is stone-faced. According to local information the ditch to the N was enlarged and cut back into the interior when a timber house was built c. 20 years ago (Power et al. 1994, 366). The interior of the site is level and is otherwise under pasture.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -884811  Y:  6776743  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -7.948390748059941  Latitude:  51.87049437699371  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cork

Historic County:  Cork

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Knockadoon (Warren)

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

A small promontory encosure formed where a stream gully cuts through the clay cliffs above the rocky foreshore at an altitude of 10m OD.

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:  S-facing promontory

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

Altitude:  10.0m

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

It is shown on the first edition OS six-inch map (1842). Noted by Westropp Westropp who met an old man who heard it called 'the Doon' in his boyhood. Visited and surveyed by the Cork Archaeological Survey in the early 1990s (Power et al. 1994)

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   OS six-inch map
1st Identified Written Reference (1921):   Thomas Westropp
Earthwork Survey (1992):   Cork Archaeological Survey

Interior Features

Apart from a modern timber building there are no recorded internal features

Water Source

A stream is recorded adjacent to the site

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 are no recorded entrances.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Westropp (1921, 109-110) describes 'curved fosse' to N and W through which a lane ran to the rocky shore below. Ditch is now eroded on the W side but extant to the N, though it has been cut back into the interior; the landward side is stone-faced.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.06ha.
Total:   0.06ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.1ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

Annex:
✗   None

References

Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., and Sleeman, M. 1994. Archaeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 2: East and South Cork, 64-5. The stationary Office, Dublin.

Westropp, T.J. 1921. The promontory forts of Beare and Bantry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 51, 1-16, 101-16



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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