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Clachan is a deserted settlement situated in County Down, Northern Ireland, at grid reference J49413614. The site lies on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating from the Wenlock epoch, which provides the underlying geology of this part of the county. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 16338.
Deserted settlements of this type are widespread across Ireland and the wider British Isles, representing communities abandoned over centuries of social, economic and political change. Such sites often preserve evidence of domestic occupation spanning medieval and post-medieval periods, with remains visible as earthworks, stone foundations or surface scatter.
The landscape around Clachan retains the character typical of rural Ulster, where upland terrain and the underlying geology have shaped patterns of settlement and land use. The site's survival as a distinct archaeological entity makes it valuable for understanding the development and organisation of rural communities in this region, and the factors that led to their eventual depopulation.
Clachan is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 16338. View the official record →
Clachan is a deserted settlement situated in County Down, Northern Ireland, at grid reference J49413614.
Clachan 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 16338.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Open field system (0.1 km), Raised rath (1.7 km), A.p. site - barrow? (1.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Clachan'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.
Clachan stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.