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Court Tomb at Antrim is a Neolithic megalithic burial monument constructed from stone. Built during the Neolithic period, court tombs are among the most distinctive communal burial structures in Ireland, characterised by their forecourt or courtyard area that opens into one or more burial chambers. These monuments served as focal points for ceremonial activity and communal burial practice in prehistoric communities.
The monument sits upon Palaeogene bedrock comprising mafic lava and tuff, a volcanic geology that would have shaped both the availability of stone for construction and the wider landscape context of the site. The dark, fractured character of these extrusive rocks would have provided suitable material for megalithic building, though the precise construction sequence and architectural details of this particular court tomb reflect choices made by its Neolithic builders.
The site is recorded under Historic Environment Division reference 2774 and remains under statutory protection. Court tombs of this type are concentrated in the northern regions of Ireland, and their presence in Antrim reflects the density of Neolithic settlement activity in this area. The monument represents a tangible expression of Neolithic social organisation, belief systems and monumental building tradition spanning more than five thousand years.
Court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2774. View the official record →
Court Tomb at Antrim is a Neolithic megalithic burial monument constructed from stone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2774.
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 2774.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle') (7.2 km), Mound - raised rath? (7.5 km), Barrow (8.1 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 Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.