© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Enclosure & field system at Ballymena is an uncertain field system of archaeological interest located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock of unnamed extrusive rocks from the Palaeogene period, composed of mafic lava and mafic tuff that forms the underlying geology of this part of the Antrim plateau. This volcanic basement has shaped the landscape and drainage patterns that influenced settlement and land use in the area.
The enclosure and associated field boundaries represent a pattern of land division whose precise date and function remain to be established through further investigation. Such systems in Northern Ireland typically relate to medieval or early modern agricultural organisation, though field systems of various periods often share comparable morphological characteristics. The preservation of these earthworks in the landscape provides evidence of historical land management practices.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under statutory reference 2374, recognising its archaeological significance. The monument's survival on the Antrim volcanic uplands, where such field systems are characteristic features of the rural archaeological record, contributes to understanding the long-term occupation and exploitation of this region.
Enclosure & field system is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2374. View the official record →
Enclosure & field system at Ballymena is an uncertain field system of archaeological interest located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2374.
Enclosure & field system dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a field system. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Enclosure & field system 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 2374.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ring barrow (2.2 km), Ring barrow (2.6 km), The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Enclosure & field system'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.
Enclosure & field system stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.