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Bivallate rath is an early Christian earthwork monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises two concentric defensive banks and ditches, a characteristic design of raths constructed during the early medieval period. The monument is situated on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during volcanic activity in the Paleogene period.
The bivallate configuration suggests this was a settlement of some status or importance, as the double-bank defence was typically more labour-intensive than simple univallate raths. Such enclosed farmstead residences served as the primary domestic and agricultural centres of early Christian Ireland, sheltering both people and livestock within their fortified boundaries.
The monument is now protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 4094, recognising its significance to the archaeological and cultural heritage of the region. The underlying volcanic geology, typical of parts of Antrim, formed the solid foundation upon which this early medieval community established its defended homestead.
Bivallate rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4094. View the official record →
Bivallate rath is an early Christian earthwork monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4094.
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 4094.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Donald's mound. mound - burial mound? (3.5 km), Counterscarp platform rath (5 km), Bivallate 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 Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.