Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandLisburnAchcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well
E.CHRIST. · ECCLESIASTICAL SITE

Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well

Lisburn, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 4771
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
ECCLESIASTICAL SITE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 4771
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J1275065480
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Achcli is a medieval church in ruins with an associated graveyard, located near Lisburn in County Antrim. The site represents an early Christian ecclesiastical foundation, likely established during the medieval period when such rural churches served as focal points for Christian worship and burial across Ulster. The church stands upon Palaeogene extrusive rocks—ancient mafic lavas and tuffs that underlie much of the local landscape, formed during intense volcanic activity tens of millions of years ago. Within the graveyard lie features typical of early Christian sites: a bullaun, a stone bowl formed by grinding grain or, according to tradition, by the knees of penitents at prayer, and the remains of what may have been a holy well. Such wells held deep significance in Irish Christian practice, often associated with healing and local saints. The ruins and graveyard survive as evidence of Lisburn's medieval religious heritage, protected by the Historic Environment Division under statutory listing.

Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4771. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well?

Achcli is a medieval church in ruins with an associated graveyard, located near Lisburn in County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4771.

What period does Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well date from?

Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well?

Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 4771.

What other scheduled monuments are near Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Large enclosure (2.8 km), Crannog (2.8 km), Derbi, laloo. medieval church & graveyard in oval enclosure with 2 bullauns (2.9 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well

Achcli. medieval church (in ruins) & graveyard with bullaun & ?holy well stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.