Scheduled Monuments›Northern Ireland›Banbridge›Hill head. rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH

Hill head. rath

Banbridge, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 7686
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
RATH
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 7686
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J0888043470
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Hillhead Rath is an early Christian rath located near Banbridge in County Down. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Gala Group, a formation of wacke laid down during the Telychian period of the Silurian era, which provides a solid foundation across this glaciated landscape of the Bann Valley.

Raths are small defended homesteads characteristic of early medieval Ireland, typically consisting of a low earthen or stone bank enclosing a domestic space. Dating from the early Christian period, these settlements served as the residences of freeholders and minor aristocrats, often containing timber structures within their protective perimeter.

The site is protected under the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland as a scheduled historic monument under reference 7686. The survival of Hillhead Rath as an earthwork feature demonstrates the longevity of settlement patterns in this area, preserving evidence of early medieval society in the north of Ireland during the first centuries after Christianity's establishment.

Hill head. rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7686. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hill head. rath?

Hillhead Rath is an early Christian rath located near Banbridge in County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7686.

What period does Hill head. rath date from?

Hill head. rath dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Hill head. rath?

Hill head. rath 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 7686.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hill head. rath?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tierny fort. counterscarp rath (6.4 km), Rath (6.7 km), The danes cast. linear earthwork (7.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hill head. rath

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hill head. rath'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Tierny fort. counterscarp rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH6.4 km
Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH6.7 km
The danes cast. linear earthwork
PREHISTORIC · LINEAR EARTHWORK7.3 km
Trivallate rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH7.6 km
Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH8.5 km
Donaghmore cross. high cross, on early monastic site, & multiperiod church site with souterrain & enclosure
E.CHRIST. · ECCLESIASTICAL SITE8.6 km
Toberdoney. church (site of); graveyard, enclosure & holy well
UNCERTAIN · ECCLESIASTICAL SITE9.2 km
Danes cast. linear earthwork
PREHISTORIC · LINEAR EARTHWORK9.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hill head. rath

Hill head. rath stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.

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