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Old Court Tower is a post-medieval tower situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. The structure stands on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period, which provides a solid geological foundation typical of the drumlin landscape of this region. The tower is registered with the Historic Environment Division under reference 7640 and benefits from statutory protection as a monument of historical significance.
Post-medieval towers of this type were commonly constructed throughout Ulster during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, serving as defensive structures or symbols of territorial authority for Anglo-Norman families and their successors. Their placement often reflected strategic considerations and the character of the local landscape, with many built on elevated or naturally defensible positions within the surrounding terrain.
The monument contributes to the archaeological and architectural heritage of County Down, representing a period of significant social and military change in Ireland. Its preservation allows for continued study of post-medieval settlement patterns, building techniques, and the evolution of fortified domestic architecture in this part of Ulster during the early modern period.
Old court. tower is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7640. View the official record →
Old Court Tower is a post-medieval tower situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7640.
Old court. tower dates from the post-med period, and is classified as a tower. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Old court. tower 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 7640.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Navigation pillar (3 km), Cup-&-ring-marked stone (3.3 km), Motte (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Old court. tower'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.
Old court. tower stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.