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Portal tomb near Downpatrick is a Neolithic megalithic burial monument constructed from large stone slabs in the characteristic style of the fourth millennium BCE. The structure consists of a chamber formed by upright orthostats, approached through a portal entrance framed by two prominent stones that face outward. Burials were inserted into this chamber, which would originally have been covered by a cairn of smaller stones and earth.
The monument stands on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a hard wacke formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian, which provided the local stone for its construction. The portal tomb's form represents a development in Neolithic funerary practice across Ireland and Britain, where communal burial chambers served the ritual and spiritual needs of settled agricultural communities. These monuments often occupied prominent positions within the landscape, functioning as territorial markers and repositories for successive burials over extended periods.
The tomb is protected by the Historic Environment Division as a monument of national significance, recorded under reference 8123. Despite the passage of over five thousand years, the structure remains a distinctive feature of Down's archaeological heritage, testament to the sophisticated engineering knowledge and communal labour of Neolithic peoples in northeast Ireland.
Portal tomb or cist burial is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8123. View the official record →
Portal tomb near Downpatrick is a Neolithic megalithic burial monument constructed from large stone slabs in the characteristic style of the fourth millennium BCE. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8123.
Portal tomb or cist burial dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Portal tomb or cist burial 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 8123.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tower-house (7.5 km), Corbelled pig crew (8 km), Souterrain (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Portal tomb or cist burial'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.
Portal tomb or cist burial stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.