BRONZE AGE · BARROW

Barrow

Antrim, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 3630
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
BARROW
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 3630
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J2450086620
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Barrow — a Bronze Age barrow is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and dates to the Bronze Age period (approximately 2300–800 BC). This monument represents one of the most distinctive burial forms of prehistoric Britain and Ireland, a mound of earth and stone raised over a single burial or small group of burials. Such barrows served as enduring territorial markers in the landscape and reflected the social status of the deceased.

The barrow is constructed upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lavas and mafic tuffs formed during volcanic activity in the Paleogene period. This geological foundation of ancient igneous material creates a striking contrast with the earthwork superstructure built many millions of years later. The volcanic nature of the underlying bedrock is characteristic of the Antrim landscape, which experienced significant Palaeogene volcanism.

The monument is protected under Historic Environment Division reference 3630, ensuring its preservation as an archaeological and heritage asset. It contributes to understanding Bronze Age burial practices and settlement patterns in the northeast of the island. The site's survival to the present day, despite agricultural and developmental pressures, allows continued study of this important period of Irish prehistory.

Barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3630. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Barrow?

Barrow — a Bronze Age barrow is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and dates to the Bronze Age period (approximately 2300–800 BC). It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3630.

What period does Barrow date from?

Barrow dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Barrow?

Barrow 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 3630.

What other scheduled monuments are near Barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berginniss mount, barginnis mount. motte (6.8 km), Standing stone (7.5 km), Barrow (7.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Barrow'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Barrow report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Barrow

Barrow stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.