BRONZE AGE · ALIGNMENT

Stone alignment

Strabane, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 14178
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
ALIGNMENT
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 14178
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H6698094780
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Stone alignment, Strabane is a Bronze Age arrangement of upright stones situated on bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic formation of psammite, semipelite and pelite that underlies much of County Tyrone. The monument comprises stones set in a linear pattern, typical of ritual or ceremonial alignments constructed during the Bronze Age across the British Isles and Ireland.

The alignment is located in the townland of Strabane in County Tyrone, in a landscape of rolling terrain shaped by glacial processes. The Argyll Group bedrock, exposed or lying shallow beneath the surface, would have presented both a challenge and opportunity for the Bronze Age communities who selected this location for the monument's placement. Local stone was likely quarried or gathered for the alignment.

The monument is registered under the Historic Environment Division's records as Site 14178 and remains an important archaeological and cultural resource in the Strabane area. Bronze Age stone alignments such as this serve as testament to the ceremonial practices and landscape organisation of Bronze Age society, though the precise purpose of this example—whether calendrical, territorial, funerary or ritual—remains a matter of archaeological interpretation.

Stone alignment is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14178. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stone alignment?

Stone alignment, Strabane is a Bronze Age arrangement of upright stones situated on bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic formation of psammite, semipelite and pelite that underlies much of County Tyrone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14178.

What period does Stone alignment date from?

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

Who is responsible for protecting Stone alignment?

Stone alignment 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 14178.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stone alignment?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone circle & alignment (7.7 km), Cist & alignment (7.8 km), Pre-bog landscape of field walls, field clearance walls & cairns, a cairn field, a stone structure & possible megalithic tombs (8.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Stone alignment

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone alignment'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 Stone alignment

Stone alignment stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.