© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Counterscarp rath is a prehistoric circular earthwork located near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument consists of a raised central platform surrounded by one or more defensive ditches and banks, characteristic of Iron Age hill fort or rath construction in Ulster. Such raths typically served as defended homesteads or settlement centres for elite families during the later prehistoric period, though precise dating for individual examples often remains uncertain without excavation. The site's name references the outer defensive ditch or counterscarp, a common feature of fortified enclosures of this type in the Irish archaeological record.
Counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7755. View the official record →
Counterscarp rath is a prehistoric circular earthwork located near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7755.
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.
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 7755.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (4.6 km), Tierny fort. counterscarp rath (6.1 km), Rath (6.7 km).
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in the UK — drawing on scheduled monument data, Domesday records, Roman heritage, PAS finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Counterscarp rath