Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database LA007-002 (None)
NMR: LA 007 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 637932 Y: 708032 (IRENET95)
Near the modern town of Rosenallis, a circular contour fort positioned in a commanding position at the NE end of a hill ridge known as the 'Ridge of Capard'. The site measures about 100m N-S by 90m E-W and has a total site footprint of approximately 0.9ha. The site is strategically positioned overlooking the River Barrow to the NE and has excellent views of low-lying terrain to the NW, N, E and S and along the crest of the ridge to the SW. Much of the hill ridge, including the contour fort itself, is covered in dense forestry. This has affected the univallate enclosing elements and has prevented detailed survey of the monument. The bank is earthen and measures approximately 2m high an 1.5m wide. A simple entrance feature was identified in Cambridge aerial photographs at the NNW. There are no obvious internal features visible on the surface. The site was first depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey maps as a circular enclosure. Site survey by Sweetman in 1995.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -827472 Y: 7005501 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.4333117192986515 Latitude: 53.1214858767817 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Laois
Historic County: Laois
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Capard
The site has been partially denuded by the planting of forestry. Shown as a conifer plantation on earlier OS mapping
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
The site was recently replanted and is under young conifer plantation.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✓ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Circular contour fort surrounding the summit of hilltop at NE edge of hill ridge. Excellent views of low-lying terrain to the NW, N, E and S and along the crest of the ridge to the SW. The site overlooks the river Barrow to the NW.
| 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: Hill ridge.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 274.0m
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: | Planted with conifers |
The site was first depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey maps as a circular enclosure. Site survey by Sweetman in 1995, but no detailed earthwork survey has been attempted due to the dense forestry on and around the monument.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1906): | Second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. |
| Other (1995): | Site survey by Sweetman et al 1995. |
No visible features on the surface of the interior. Interior is masked by dense forestry plantation.
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 | ✗ |
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 | ✗ |
Simple entrance feature identified in Cambridge aerial photographs at NNW. No other information available.
| 1: | Single gap noted on aerial photographs on the NNW |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North): | None |
The contour fort is defined by an earthen bank with no obvious ditch feature. The bank measures approximately 2m high an 1.5m wide. There is no record of the internal area defined by the contour fort due to the forestry.
| Area 1: | 0.8ha. |
| Total: | 0.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.87ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| 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: 0
| ✗ | None. |
Sweetman, D, Alcock, O and Moran, B (1995) Archaeological Inventory of County Laois.-The Stationary Office, Dublin.
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