PREHISTORIC · BARROW

Round barrow

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 1244
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
BARROW
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 1244
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
C9284027640
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

The Round Barrow at Ballymoney is a prehistoric burial mound located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Round barrows are the most common form of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary monument in the British Isles, typically constructed over single graves or cremation burials and often surrounded by ditches. This example sits on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, the mafic lavas and tuffs characteristic of Northern Ireland's volcanic geology from that geological period.

The monument's survival and protection reflect its archaeological significance within the local prehistoric landscape. Its situation on this particular volcanic geology is typical of Ballymoney's underlying bedrock composition. The barrow remains an important record of early Irish funerary practice and territorial use of the land, though its precise chronology and contents can only be determined through archaeological investigation.

The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 1244, recognising its value as a scheduled monument. This designation ensures the preservation of this Neolithic or Bronze Age burial mound for future study and as part of the broader understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns across Northern Ireland.

Round barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1244. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Round barrow?

The Round Barrow at Ballymoney is a prehistoric burial mound located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1244.

What period does Round barrow date from?

Round barrow dates from the prehistoric 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 1244.

What other scheduled monuments are near Round barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Platform rath (4.1 km), Raised rath (or motte?) (4.1 km), Mound - barrow? (4.6 km).

Unlimited access

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.