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Mound & ?souterrain is an early Christian monument located near Ballymoney in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The site comprises an earthen mound of probable early medieval date, likely constructed between the fifth and twelfth centuries when such monuments commonly served as defensive or ceremonial centres for ecclesiastical or secular communities. The possible souterrain, a stone-lined underground chamber or passage, suggests the site may have functioned as a place of refuge or ritual significance during the early Christian period.
The monument sits on bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff of Palaeogene age, part of the volcanic sequences that characterise the Antrim plateau. This solid geological foundation would have provided stable ground for construction, though the basaltic bedrock necessitated careful engineering when excavating any underground features such as the suspected souterrain.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument under reference 1380 by the Historic Environment Division, reflecting its archaeological importance to understanding early Christian settlement and social organisation in this region of Ulster. The combination of mound and subterranean features is characteristic of early medieval occupation sites across Ireland, where such structures often indicate the presence of a significant household or religious community.
Mound & ?souterrain is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1380. View the official record →
Mound & ?souterrain is an early Christian monument located near Ballymoney in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1380.
Mound & ?souterrain dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mound & ?souterrain 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 1380.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath?, motte and bailey & 2 urn burials (5 km), Raised rath (5.2 km), Standing stone (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mound & ?souterrain'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 & ?souterrain stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.