© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Magherafelt Church and Graveyard is a multiperiod ecclesiastical site spanning from the early Christian period to modern times. Located in the townland of Magherafelt in County Londonderry, the monument sits upon bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, mafic lavas and tuffs that underlie this part of Ulster. The church occupies a landscape shaped by ancient volcanic activity, its foundations resting upon stone formed during the Paleogene period some 56 to 34 million years ago.
The site represents continuous religious use across more than a millennium, from its early Christian origins through medieval development to its present form. The graveyard surrounding the church contains burials spanning this extended period, recording the spiritual and social life of successive generations within the parish. The combination of church building and burial ground reflects the central role such sites played in early Christian communities throughout Ireland.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 13044, recognising its significance as evidence of long-term Christian settlement and practice in the region. The survival of both structural and burial remains makes this site valuable for understanding the development of ecclesiastical sites within the wider landscape of early medieval and later Irish Christianity.
Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern) is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13044. View the official record →
Magherafelt Church and Graveyard is a multiperiod ecclesiastical site spanning from the early Christian period to modern times. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13044.
Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern) dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern) 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 13044.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The moat. mound (4.1 km), Rath (6.4 km), Platform rath (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern)'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.
Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern) stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.