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Black Pig's Glen is a linear earthwork of uncertain origin located in Newry and Mourne, County Down. The monument comprises a bank or ditch formation running across the landscape, typical of such works which frequently served defensive, territorial or boundary functions in medieval and early modern Ireland. The underlying bedrock of felsic igneous rock, formed during the Early Devonian period, gives the glen its distinctive geological character and may have influenced both the original construction and the survival of the earthwork's form across the centuries.
Linear earthworks of this type are commonly associated with the Anglo-Norman period or with later plantation-era land management, though their precise chronology often remains unclear without excavation. The uncertain classification of Black Pig's Glen reflects the challenges of dating such features when surface evidence alone is available. The monument's name, preserved in local tradition, may contain clues to its historical significance, as place-names frequently commemorate notable events or characteristics of the landscape.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division, recognising its archaeological importance as part of the broader landscape history of south Down. Its survival within the Glen's terrain demonstrates the enduring marks left by past occupation and activity upon the Irish countryside.
Black pig's glen. linear earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5901. View the official record →
Black Pig's Glen is a linear earthwork of uncertain origin located in Newry and Mourne, County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5901.
Black pig's glen. linear earthwork dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a earthwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Black pig's glen. linear earthwork 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 5901.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Newry canal. newry canal - c.f. ihr 172 & arm 029 (3.6 km), Crown mound. motte & bailey (4.8 km), Bagnal's castle. tower-house (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black pig's glen. linear earthwork'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.
Black pig's glen. linear earthwork stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.