© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
The Black Fort is a rath—an early Christian ringfort—located near Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Raths of this type typically date to the early medieval period and comprise a circular or oval earthwork enclosure, often serving as a defended homestead for a family or small community. The Black Fort's position on bedrock composed of Ordovician to Silurian mafic igneous rock has provided a stable foundation for its earthwork construction and has helped preserve its form across more than fifteen centuries.
The site sits within the undulating landscape of mid-Ulster, where such raths are a characteristic feature of the early Christian settlement pattern. These enclosures served domestic, agricultural and sometimes ecclesiastical purposes during a formative period in Irish history. The earthwork banks would have supported timber palisading and housed clusters of roundhouses within the defended perimeter, with associated agricultural land worked by the resident community.
The Black Fort is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 14812 as a scheduled monument. This designation recognises its archaeological significance and ensures that the earthwork itself, which represents an irreplaceable record of early medieval settlement, land use and social organisation, is safeguarded for present and future study.
The black fort. rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14812. View the official record →
The Black Fort is a rath—an early Christian ringfort—located near Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14812.
The black fort. rath 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.
The black fort. rath 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 14812.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Trackway (2.4 km), Wedge tomb (2.9 km), Chambered grave. megalithic tomb (4.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The black fort. rath'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.
The black fort. rath stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.