Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

NI0808 Dunmill, Antrim (Toberdornan)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record ANT006:004 (None)

NMR:  ANT 006 (None)

SM:  ANT 6:4

NGR:  None

X:  688867  Y:  937089  (IRENET95)

Summary

Partial contour fort surrounding the flat-topped summit and E facing slopes of Dunmill Hill. The site has a total footprint of approximately 1.4ha and is univallate for the entire circuit. No obvious entrance features are recorded. There are two enclosures visible on the surface and a number of others on aerial photography. Ramparts survive well. Dense gorse cover over banks, interior under pasture. Monument survey in 1940 (Chart 1940, 9). The site is traditionally known as a pre C12th stronghold of the O'Flynns and references to a chair and footprint stone suggest it may be an inaugural site rather than a hillfort.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -735267  Y:  7395533  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -6.605016236244135  Latitude:  55.173096120172126  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Northern Ireland; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Antrim

Historic County:  Antrim

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Ballywillin; Slimag

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

Partial contour fort surrounding the flat-topped summit and E facing slopes of Dunmill Hill with extensive views to the N, E and S.

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:  Dunmill Hill.

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

Altitude:  125.0m

Boundary

N section of the enclosing elements fort the boundary between Toberdornan and Slimag townlands.

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


Dating Evidence

No dating evidence.

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:   Possible inaugural site.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Monument survey in 1940 (Chart 1940, 9).

Investigations:
Other (1886):   Sketch and description in Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record
Other (1940):   Chart (1940, 9)
Other (1993):   Description in Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record

Interior Features

Well at centre of site. Possible enclosure at NW end of interior. An 8m diameter enclosure is visible at the centre of the interior. A number of possible round house structures are visible in aerial photography.

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

Possible round house structures.

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✗
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✓
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

No obvious entrance features recorded.

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

Irregular shaped univallate enclosure comprising a bank with no evidence for a ditch feature.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.32ha.
Total:   1.32ha.

Total Footprint Area:  1.43ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
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:
✗   No obvious ditch features recorded.

Number of Ditches:  0

Annex:
✗   None.

References

Chart, D. 1940. A Preliminary Survey of the Ancient Monuments of Northern Ireland. H.M. Stationery office, Belfast.



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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