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Rath — a is an early Christian earthwork settlement located in the Ards peninsula of County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument consists of a ringfort of modest scale, a form of enclosed homestead characteristic of early medieval Ireland, typically dating between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Built upon Silurian sedimentary bedrock, the rath represents a common pattern of settlement in this region during the early Christian period, when such fortified farmsteads served as the residences and economic centres of farming families.
The earthwork defences comprise a bank and ditch arrangement typical of raths constructed in this area. The Ards landscape, dominated by glacial deposits overlying ancient Paleozoic strata, provided suitable terrain for the digging of such features, with the excavated material forming the protective rampart. The modest proportions of this example suggest occupation by a family of middling status within the early Christian social hierarchy.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under statutory designation, reference number 6564. Raths of this type provide important archaeological evidence for understanding settlement patterns, land use and social organisation in early medieval Ulster. The survival of the earthwork allows study of domestic life and landscape management during this formative period of Irish Christian society.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6564. View the official record →
Rath — a is an early Christian earthwork settlement located in the Ards peninsula of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6564.
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.
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 6564.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Windmill stump (c.f. ihr 2815 for details) (1.5 km), The ragheries. wooden fish trap (1.8 km), Kelp grid (2.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rath'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.
Rath stands on Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.