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Rough Fort is an uncertain earthwork located near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The site sits upon Palaeogene extrusive rocks, a foundation of ancient mafic lava and tuff laid down during volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. This underlying geology of dark igneous stone has shaped the landscape and would have influenced settlement patterns in the area throughout history.
The earthwork itself survives as an upstanding monument, though its precise date and original function remain unclear. The morphology and construction suggest possible Iron Age or early medieval origins, periods when fortified enclosures were common throughout Ulster. The uncertain classification reflects the challenges of interpreting archaeological features where excavation has not taken place and surface evidence alone cannot establish a definitive chronology or purpose.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference number 12345, recognising its potential archaeological and historical significance. Rough Fort contributes to the wider pattern of defended settlement sites recorded across the Coleraine locality, offering future researchers an opportunity to understand more fully the development of fortification practices in this region of north-eastern Ireland.
Rough fort. earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12345. View the official record →
Rough Fort is an uncertain earthwork located near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12345.
Rough fort. 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.
Rough fort. 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 12345.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dwarf's grave, slaght averty. cairn (2 km), Tamney cromlech. stone circle or cairn (2.6 km), Counterscarp rath (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rough fort. 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.
Rough fort. earthwork stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.