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Stone faced rath is a small defended settlement of early Christian date, one of a pair of raths occupying this landscape in Newry and Mourne. The monument consists of an earthwork enclosure with stone facing, a form of domestic fortification characteristic of the early medieval period in Ireland. Such raths typically enclosed the homestead of a farmer or minor landowner, providing both residential and stock-keeping functions within their defended perimeter.
The site sits upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a formation of wacke sandstone laid down in the Wenlock period of the Silurian. This local geology would have supplied material for the stone facing that distinguishes this rath from purely earthen examples, allowing the builder to reinforce the rampart with dry-stone walling. The presence of a companion rath nearby suggests a clustering of contemporary settlements, possibly representing related family groups or a small territorial division.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 8871, recognising its significance as evidence of early Christian settlement patterns and construction techniques in this part of Ulster. Such sites remain important for understanding rural society, land use and defensive practices during the early medieval period in Ireland.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8871. View the official record →
Stone faced rath is a small defended settlement of early Christian date, one of a pair of raths occupying this landscape in Newry and Mourne. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8871.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 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 8871.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 (0.1 km), Rathturret. trivallate rath & possible souterrain (1.2 km), Grotto (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051'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.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.