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Bivallate Rath at Newtownabbey is a conjoined early Christian ringfort, protected as a monument of archaeological significance by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3636. The site comprises two adjoined circular earthworks, each enclosed by two concentric banks and ditches typical of raths constructed during the early medieval period. This dual-ringfort arrangement represents a more complex domestic settlement than single enclosures, suggesting a community of sufficient status and resources to maintain multiple defensive circuits.
The monument sits on bedrock of Palaeogene mafic lava and tuff, part of the volcanic geology underlying much of County Antrim. This underlying volcanic material would have provided stone for tool-making and possibly for reinforcing the ramparts during construction and occupation. The site's location in the Newtownabbey area places it within the broader landscape of early Christian settlement in north-east Ulster, where such ringforts served as secure homesteads and administrative centres for local lords and their households during the medieval centuries.
Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3636. View the official record →
Bivallate Rath at Newtownabbey is a conjoined early Christian ringfort, protected as a monument of archaeological significance by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3636.
Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051 dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051 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 3636.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berginniss mount, barginnis mount. motte (7.6 km), Court tomb (8.3 km), Standing stone (9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051 stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.