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Counterscarp rath is a possibly hillfort monument located near Limavady in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 11728. Dating to the early Christian period, the monument consists of a rath—a small, fortified farmstead typical of early medieval Irish settlement. The defining feature of this particular example is its counterscarp, an outer bank that runs parallel to the main defensive ditch, creating a distinctive two-bank configuration that distinguished higher-status raths from simpler enclosed homesteads.
The monument sits upon bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, formed from mafic lavas and tuffs laid down during volcanic activity in the Paleogene period, some sixty million years before human settlement. This volcanic geology would have shaped the practical character of the site, influencing drainage, soil composition and the availability of stone for construction and repair of the earthworks.
The rath's prominence in the landscape near Limavady reflects the importance of early Christian settlement in the region. Though now reduced to earthwork remains, the site preserves evidence of a structured domestic and pastoral economy typical of the early medieval Irish countryside, where such ringforts served as the focal points of local communities and their agricultural resources.
Counterscarp rath, possibly hillfort is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11728. View the official record →
Counterscarp rath is a possibly hillfort monument located near Limavady in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11728.
Counterscarp rath, possibly hillfort 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, possibly hillfort 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 11728.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sweat house (0.8 km), Well glass spring. wedge tomb (1.8 km), Rath (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Counterscarp rath, possibly hillfort'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.
Counterscarp rath, possibly hillfort stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.