Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandCookstownGiant's grave. wedge tomb
NEO/B.A. · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Giant's grave. wedge tomb

Cookstown, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15066
Period
NEO/B.A.
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15066
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H8124074870
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Giant's Grave is a wedge tomb located near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This Neolithic or Bronze Age megalithic monument consists of a stone-built chamber constructed to hold communal burials, characteristic of the wedge tomb tradition that flourished across Ireland during the later prehistoric period. The structure's name reflects folklore traditions associated with such monumental tombs throughout the region.

The site rests on bedrock of the Armagh Group, comprising interbedded limestone, argillaceous rocks and subordinate sandstone formations dating from the Visean period. This geological foundation provided local stone resources that would have been quarried and worked by its builders. The limestone geology of the area is typical of the drumlin landscape surrounding Cookstown.

Giant's Grave is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, registered under reference 15066. The monument represents evidence of the ritual and burial practices of prehistoric communities in this part of Ulster, and contributes to understanding settlement patterns and social organisation during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods across the island of Ireland.

Giant's grave. wedge tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15066. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Giant's grave. wedge tomb?

Giant's Grave is a wedge tomb located near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15066.

What period does Giant's grave. wedge tomb date from?

Giant's grave. wedge tomb dates from the neo/b.a. 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. wedge tomb?

Giant's grave. wedge 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 15066.

What other scheduled monuments are near Giant's grave. wedge tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (3.6 km), Ballyclog old church. church & graveyard (5.5 km), Stewartstown castle. castle & village (6.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Giant's grave. wedge tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Giant's grave. wedge 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Giant's grave. wedge tomb

Giant's grave. wedge tomb stands on Armagh Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, argillaceous rocks and subordinate sandstone, interbedded.