Scheduled Monuments›Northern Ireland›Cookstown›Counterscarp rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH

Counterscarp rath

Cookstown, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 13129
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
RATH
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 13129
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H9396084900
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Counterscarp rath is a early Christian rath situated near Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The monument is protected as a scheduled historic monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 13129.

The rath is constructed upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, formed during the Paleogene period as mafic lava and tuff. This volcanic geology is characteristic of the terrain around Cookstown, which was shaped during the ancient volcanic activity that created the distinctive landscape of this region in northern Ulster.

As an early Christian rath, the monument represents a defended homestead or small fort typical of settlement patterns in early medieval Ireland. The counterscarp—a secondary defensive bank and ditch running parallel to the main rampart—indicates a settlement of some status during the early Christian period, when such earthwork enclosures served both defensive and social functions for local communities.

Counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13129. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Counterscarp rath?

Counterscarp rath is a early Christian rath situated near Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13129.

What period does Counterscarp rath date from?

Counterscarp 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Counterscarp rath?

Counterscarp 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 13129.

What other scheduled monuments are near Counterscarp rath?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (0.4 km), Rath (1.2 km), Salter's castle, salter'stown. plantation castle, bawn & village site (2.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Counterscarp rath

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Counterscarp rath's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Bivallate rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH0.4 km
Rath
UNCERTAIN · RATHPossible1.2 km
Salter's castle, salter'stown. plantation castle, bawn & village site
POST-MED · SETTLEMENT2.8 km
The moat. mound
UNCERTAIN · MOUND3.6 km
The fort. rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH5.6 km
Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern)
E.CHRIST. · ECCLESIASTICAL SITE7.2 km
Toome castle. tower-house & bawn
LATE-MED · FORTIFICATION7.3 km
Cloghtogle. portal tomb
NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB7.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Counterscarp rath

Counterscarp rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.

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