NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Court tomb

Moyle, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 807
Period
NEOLITHIC
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 807
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
D1572038410
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Court Tomb, Moyle is a Neolithic megalithic tomb standing on bedrock of the Argyll Group, formed during the Neoproterozoic era. The underlying geology comprises psammite, semipelite and pelite, rocks that characterise this ancient metamorphic sequence. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 807.

Court tombs are characteristic of Neolithic communities in northern Ireland, typically consisting of a central courtyard flanked by burial chambers. These monumental structures served as communal burial places for farming communities during the fourth millennium before present. The court facilitated ceremonial activities as well as the deposition of the dead.

The Moyle example survives within the landscape of County Antrim, where several other court tombs and contemporary Neolithic monuments indicate settlement and ceremonial practice during the earliest farming period in Ireland. The site's position on stable Precambrian bedrock provided a suitable foundation for construction. Today it remains an important record of Neolithic funerary architecture and early agricultural society in this region.

Court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 807. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Court tomb?

Court Tomb, Moyle is a Neolithic megalithic tomb standing on bedrock of the Argyll Group, formed during the Neoproterozoic era. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 807.

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 807.

What other scheduled monuments are near Court tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Court tomb (1.9 km), The haunton stone. megalithic tomb (3.4 km), Dual court tomb (4.3 km).

Unlimited access

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 Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.