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Lyles Hill is a round cairn, a prehistoric burial monument situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The cairn is constructed upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, comprising mafic lava and tuff formed during volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. This distinctive geological setting of dark igneous stone provided both the natural foundation and likely much of the material for the monument's construction.
The site occupies a commanding position in the Antrim landscape, typical of Neolithic and Bronze Age burial cairns in Ulster. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division, registered under reference 4289, reflecting its significance as evidence of prehistoric settlement and ritual practice in the region. Round cairns of this type commonly date to the Bronze Age, though some may have Neolithic origins.
The mafic geology of the surrounding terrain has shaped both the monument's appearance and its archaeological context. The dark stone of the cairn would have been readily available from the local bedrock, and the volcanic landscape itself formed a distinctive landmark visible across the surrounding countryside. Lyles Hill thus represents an important survival of Bronze Age funerary practice, grounded in the specific geology and topography of north-east Ulster.
Lyles hill. round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4289. View the official record →
Lyles Hill is a round cairn, a prehistoric burial monument situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4289.
Lyles hill. round cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lyles hill. round cairn 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 4289.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath - one of rath pair (c.f. 060 (6.7 km), Rath - one of rath pair (c.f. 060 (6.8 km), Bivallate rath (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lyles hill. round cairn'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.
Lyles hill. round cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.