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The Black Pig's Dyke is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. This substantial bank-and-ditch construction forms part of a territorial boundary system whose full extent and precise dating remain subjects of archaeological study. The monument's name derives from local folklore and reflects the enduring presence of such earthworks in the landscape and cultural memory of Ulster.
The dyke runs across terrain underlain by the Tyrone Group bedrock, a complex sequence of limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone deposited during the Visean period, with subsidiary lenses of chert, coal and conglomerate. This varied geology would have shaped the constructors' choice of route and methods of construction, with the softer sedimentary rocks offering less resistance than harder stone.
The earthwork represents a significant investment of labour in prehistoric times, suggesting territorial demarcation or defence of considerable importance to the communities that built and maintained it. The Black Pig's Dyke is protected as a monument of regional historical and archaeological significance by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 11320.
The black pig's dyke. linear earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11320. View the official record →
The Black Pig's Dyke is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11320.
The black pig's dyke. linear earthwork dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a linear earthwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The black pig's dyke. linear earthwork 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 11320.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Large hilltop enclosure (0.4 km), Black pig's dyke. linear earthwork (1.1 km), Fundamental bench mark (4.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The black pig's dyke. linear earthwork'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 pig's dyke. linear earthwork stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.