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Bivallate rath at Magherafelt is an early Christian enclosed settlement comprising two concentric defensive earthwork banks. The monument sits on bedrock of Ordovician to Silurian igneous rock, a felsic intrusion typical of the basement geology underlying much of County Londonderry. This geological foundation would have offered a firm base for the substantial ramparts characteristic of raths constructed during the early medieval period across Ulster.
Raths of this type served as fortified homesteads for farming families and their livestock, with the double bank system providing enhanced security against raids. The bivallate design—two rather than single rampart—suggests a settlement of some status or prosperity. The landscape setting at Magherafelt would have provided access to cultivable soils developed over the underlying bedrock, essential for the mixed agricultural economy these communities practised.
The rath is recorded on the Historic Environment Division's register of Northern Irish monuments and is afforded statutory protection. Such earthwork monuments are vulnerable to ploughing, development and erosion, making their legal protection important for preserving evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and land use across the north of Ireland.
Bivallate rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13104. View the official record →
Bivallate rath at Magherafelt is an early Christian enclosed settlement comprising two concentric defensive earthwork banks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13104.
Bivallate rath 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 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 13104.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (2.7 km), Rath (3.7 km), Platform rath (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bivallate rath'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 stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is felsic-rock.