NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Court tomb

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 14633
Period
NEOLITHIC
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 14633
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H5853277003
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Beaghmore Court Tomb is a Neolithic megalithic monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Built during the Neolithic period, this court tomb represents one of the characteristic communal burial structures of early farming communities in Ireland. The monument sits on bedrock of Ordovician extrusive rocks, ancient mafic lavas and tuffs formed over 400 million years ago, which would have presented a challenging terrain for its Neolithic builders.

Court tombs typically comprise a central open courtyard flanked by burial chambers, though their precise original configurations are often difficult to determine from surviving remains. This example, protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 14633, survives as a testament to the monumental efforts of Neolithic communities to construct enduring structures for ritual and burial purposes.

The site lies within the broader archaeological landscape of the Sperrins, an area rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. The location at grid reference H5853277003 places the tomb in a significant position within this heritage landscape. Such monuments provide crucial evidence for understanding the social organisation, burial practices and spiritual beliefs of Ireland's earliest farming societies over 5,000 years ago.

Court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14633. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Court tomb?

Beaghmore Court Tomb is a Neolithic megalithic monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14633.

What period does Court tomb date from?

Court tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Court tomb?

Court tomb 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 14633.

What other scheduled monuments are near Court tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (5 km), Termon rock, tearmann comain, termon-conyn, termon cumainig. church, 2 graveyards, 5 wells & cross-carved stone (5.1 km), Standing stone (6.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Court tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Court tomb'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Court tomb

Court tomb stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.