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Rectangular earthwork (Antrim) is an uncertain earthwork located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument comprises a rectangular bank formation whose precise date and function remain undetermined. The site lies upon Palaeogene extrusive rocks, specifically felsic lava and tuff deposits that underlie much of the Antrim plateau, a geology that has shaped settlement patterns and land use across the region since prehistoric times.
The rectangular form suggests a possible defensive or delimiting function, though without excavation or dating evidence, its true purpose cannot be firmly established. Such earthworks may represent anything from medieval field boundaries and livestock enclosures to prehistoric ritual or domestic sites, or even later military or agricultural structures. The uncertainty classification reflects the lack of diagnostic artefacts or structural details that would permit confident interpretation.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 2760, ensuring its preservation for future study. The rectangular earthwork survives as an earthen bank on the distinctive volcanic bedrock of this region, constituting an important part of Antrim's archaeological resource despite the unknowns surrounding its origins and original purpose.
Rectangular earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2760. View the official record →
Rectangular earthwork (Antrim) is an uncertain earthwork located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2760.
Rectangular earthwork dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a earthwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rectangular earthwork 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 2760.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Antrim castle. c17th castle (8.2 km), Mound - motte? (8.3 km), Mound (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rectangular earthwork'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.
Rectangular earthwork stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is felsic lava and felsic tuff.