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Rectangular Enclosure is a uncertain enclosure located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 2996. The monument occupies a landscape underlain by Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and tuff deposits formed during ancient volcanic activity that shaped this corner of Ulster. These dark igneous foundations have influenced the terrain and soil conditions across the site since their formation in the Palaeogene period, roughly 56 to 34 million years ago.
The enclosure is defined by its rectangular plan, though its archaeological interpretation remains uncertain. Such rectangular forms in the prehistoric and medieval landscape of Northern Ireland may represent various functions, from domestic settlements and agricultural stock enclosures to ritual or ceremonial spaces. Without excavation, the precise purpose and date of this monument cannot be firmly established, though its morphology suggests it belongs within the long sequence of settlement and land management evident across Antrim's archaeological record.
The site lies within a region rich in monuments spanning many millennia. Its preservation as a scheduled historic monument reflects recognition of its potential archaeological significance and its contribution to understanding how ancient communities ordered and used the landscape of County Antrim, particularly across the challenging terrain of Palaeogene volcanic bedrock.
Rectangular enclosure is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2996. View the official record →
Rectangular Enclosure is a uncertain enclosure located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 2996.
Rectangular enclosure dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rectangular enclosure 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 2996.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bastion (6 km), Antrim castle. c17th castle (6 km), Mound - motte? (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rectangular enclosure'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 enclosure stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.