Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandFermanaghGiant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb
NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb

Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 10870
Period
NEOLITHIC
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 10870
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H1848031120
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Giant's Grave, the Star Cairn is a court tomb of Neolithic date, built upon Visean bedrock comprising limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone. This megalithic monument lies in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and represents a significant example of the court cairn tradition, a type of communal burial structure characteristic of Neolithic communities in the north of Ireland during the fourth and third millennia before Christ. The monument consists of a stone cairn fronted by an open forecourt, an architectural arrangement that facilitated multiple burials and likely served important social functions within these prehistoric communities.

The site's location upon the varied geology of the Tyrone Group, with its mixture of stone types including chert and conglomerate alongside the primary building materials, reflects the landscape the builders knew and utilised. Court tombs functioned as places for the deposition of human remains, often over considerable periods, and their visible, prominent forms would have served as enduring markers within the prehistoric territory.

Giant's Grave, the Star Cairn is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 10870, recognising its importance as a surviving record of Neolithic funerary practice and settlement patterns in the region.

Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 10870. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb?

Giant's Grave, the Star Cairn is a court tomb of Neolithic date, built upon Visean bedrock comprising limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 10870.

What period does Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb date from?

Giant's grave, the star cairn. 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 Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb?

Giant's grave, the star cairn. 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 10870.

What other scheduled monuments are near Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosure (0.9 km), The forth. cross-inscribed standing stone & cairn (0.9 km), Multiple cist cairn (1.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Giant's grave, the star cairn. 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 Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb

Giant's grave, the star cairn. court tomb stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.