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# Mound — Motte
Mound is a medieval motte situated in Antrim, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3519. The mound rises from bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, a foundation of ancient mafic lava and tuff formed during volcanic activity over fifty million years ago. This geological base, typical of the Antrim plateau, provided a stable platform for medieval earthwork construction.
The site represents the characteristic defensive architecture of the medieval period, when mottes—artificial or enhanced mounds crowned with timber palisades—formed the dominant form of aristocratic fortification across Britain and Ireland. Such monuments typically commanded local territories and served as symbols of feudal authority. The specific topography and geology of this Antrim location would have influenced both the monument's construction and its strategic function within the medieval landscape.
The mound's survival to the present day, embedded within Palaeogene bedrock, demonstrates the durability of this form of earthwork. As a scheduled monument, the site is protected to preserve evidence of medieval settlement and territorial organization in the region, and to allow for future archaeological study of its construction, occupation and abandonment.
Mound - motte? is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3519. View the official record →
# Mound — Motte Mound is a medieval motte situated in Antrim, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3519.
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 3519.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (6.8 km), Mound (7.4 km), Raised rath or motte (7.8 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.