MEDIEVAL · MOUND

Mound - motte?

Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 3772
Period
MEDIEVAL
Site type
MOUND
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 3772
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J4157088650
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Mound at Carrickfergus is a medieval mound of uncertain form, situated within the townland of Carrickfergus in County Antrim. The monument stands upon bedrock of the Mercia Mudstone Group, a geological formation of Rhaetian age comprising mudstone, sandstone and limestone, which provides a stable foundation typical of the drumlin landscape of eastern Ulster. The mound's construction exploited the natural topography of this coastal area overlooking Belfast Lough, a location of strategic significance throughout the medieval period. The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 3772. Whether the earthwork was constructed as a motte—the mounded defensive centre of a motte-and-bailey fortification—or represents another form of medieval mound remains uncertain. Its precise chronology and original function require further investigation, though its position within the Carrickfergus locality suggests connection to the settlement's medieval development. The monument represents a valuable archaeological resource within the town's medieval heritage landscape.

Mound - motte? is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3772. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Mound - motte??

Mound at Carrickfergus is a medieval mound of uncertain form, situated within the townland of Carrickfergus in County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3772.

What period does Mound - motte? date from?

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.

Who is responsible for protecting Mound - motte??

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 3772.

What other scheduled monuments are near Mound - motte??

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Boundary wall of joymount gardens (0.9 km), Fisherman's quay. stone quay (1 km), Wwii home guard storage buildings (1.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Mound - motte?

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:

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 Mound - motte?

Mound - motte? stands on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.