BRONZE AGE · BARROW

Round barrow

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 1232
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
BARROW
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 1232
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
C9560022440
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Ballymoney Round Barrow is a Bronze Age burial mound located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument is protected as a scheduled historic monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 1232. Round barrows of this period typically date between approximately 2200 and 1200 BC and served as burial structures for individuals of elevated status within Bronze Age communities.

The barrow sits upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lavas and mafic tuffs formed during the Palaeogene period. This distinctive volcanic geology underlies much of the landscape in this region of Northern Ireland and would have been exposed or near-surface at the time of the monument's construction. The solid stone foundation provided a stable base for the earthen mound that would have been raised over burials and associated grave goods.

As with other barrows of its type, Ballymoney Round Barrow would originally have been a more prominent earthwork than may be visible today. Such monuments frequently contained cremated and inhumed remains, along with pottery, metalwork and other objects reflecting the status and beliefs of Bronze Age society. The barrow remains a significant archaeological record of this period in County Antrim's prehistory.

Round barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1232. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Round barrow?

Ballymoney Round Barrow is a Bronze Age burial mound located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1232.

What period does Round barrow date from?

Round barrow dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Round barrow?

Round barrow 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 1232.

What other scheduled monuments are near Round barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mound, possible motte (1.5 km), Raised rath (1.8 km), Mound - barrow? (2.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Round barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Round barrow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Round barrow

Round barrow stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.