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Mound is a medieval mound located in Antrim, Northern Ireland, possibly the remains of a motte or fortified earthwork. The site sits upon Palaeogene extrusive bedrock composed of mafic lava and mafic tuff, evidence of the ancient volcanic activity that shaped this region during the early Tertiary period. This geological foundation would have presented particular challenges and opportunities for medieval fortification, as the hard volcanic basalt underlies the landscape throughout much of the Antrim plateau.
The mound represents one of several earthwork fortifications established across medieval Ulster, a period when Norman and Anglo-Norman lords expanded their territorial control through northern Ireland. The site's elevated position within its local landscape afforded strategic defensive advantages typical of medieval motte construction, whether raised artificially or enhanced from a natural prominence.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3001, recognising its significance as evidence of medieval settlement and lordship patterns. Its preservation ensures that future archaeological investigation may yet reveal more about the dating, scale and function of this earthwork within the broader context of medieval Antrim's settlement history.
Mound - motte? is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3001. View the official record →
Mound is a medieval mound located in Antrim, Northern Ireland, possibly the remains of a motte or fortified earthwork. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3001.
Mound - motte? dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mound - motte? 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 3001.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bog head. rath and souterrain (5.7 km), Mound - motte? (6 km), Bean fort. two conjoined raths, one trivallate (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mound - motte?'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.
Mound - motte? stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.