Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandCastlereaghQueen's fort. bivallate rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH

Queen's fort. bivallate rath

Castlereagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 6445
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
RATH
Nation
Northern Ireland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Queen's Fort is a bivallate rath located in the townland of Castlereagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument consists of two concentric earthen banks with intervening ditches, a defensive arrangement characteristic of Early Christian period raths dating to approximately the fifth to twelfth centuries. Raths of this type served as enclosed homesteads for farming communities and represented the principal form of settlement in early medieval Ireland. The bivallate configuration suggests a settlement of some status or importance within the local Early Christian hierarchy, as single-banked examples were more common among ordinary households.

Queen's fort. bivallate rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6445. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Queen's fort. bivallate rath?

Queen's Fort is a bivallate rath located in the townland of Castlereagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6445.

What period does Queen's fort. bivallate rath date from?

Queen's fort. bivallate rath dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Queen's fort. bivallate rath?

Queen's fort. bivallate rath 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 6445.

What other scheduled monuments are near Queen's fort. bivallate rath?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (2.5 km), Farrel's fort. multivallate rath (3.2 km), Mound - rath/barrow? (4.1 km).

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