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Court Tomb at Cookstown is a Neolithic megalithic tomb constructed during the fourth millennium BC. These distinctive monuments are among Ireland's earliest communal burial places, characterised by their D-shaped or oval forecourt and chambered burial gallery. The Cookstown example stands on bedrock of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, a geological formation dating to the Ladinian period, comprising sandstone interspersed with siltstone and mudstone that would have shaped both construction possibilities and site drainage.
The monument lies in County Tyrone at grid reference H8231876865, in the drumlin landscape typical of central Northern Ireland. This rolling terrain, with its alternating clay ridges and sandy deposits, characterised the Neolithic settlement pattern of the region. Court tombs functioned as focal points for Neolithic communities, serving both practical and ritual purposes as repositories for the dead whilst also acting as territorial markers across the landscape.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 15077, reflecting its significance as evidence for early farming communities in Ireland. Court tombs remain among the most informative Neolithic monuments, their construction and use revealing much about social organisation, burial practices and the adaptation of Neolithic populations to the Irish environment. The Cookstown example contributes substantially to understanding settlement patterns in the northern midlands during this formative period.
Court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15077. View the official record →
Court Tomb at Cookstown is a Neolithic megalithic tomb constructed during the fourth millennium BC. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15077.
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.
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 15077.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (1.5 km), Bronze age settlement & ring ditch (2.1 km), Giant's grave. wedge tomb (2.3 km).
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:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Court tomb stands on Sherwood Sandstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Ladinian. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.