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The Swine Craes is a raised rath, enclosure and ancient fields site located near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. A rath represents an early medieval ringfort, typically dating between the fifth and twelfth centuries, which served as a defended homestead or administrative centre. The monument sits upon bedrock of unnamed extrusive rocks of Palaeogene age, formed from mafic lava and mafic tuff during intense volcanic activity some fifty-six to thirty-four million years ago. This distinctive geological foundation is characteristic of the Antrim Plateau.
The site comprises the raised earthwork of the rath itself, together with an associated uncertain enclosure of unclear date and function. The term "uncertain enclosure" indicates that the feature's original purpose—whether agricultural, defensive or ceremonial—cannot be determined from its physical form alone. Ancient field systems visible in the landscape surrounding the rath provide evidence of long-term land use and farming practices across the wider settlement area.
The Swine Craes is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under monument reference 2261. The survival of both the rath and the relict field patterns offers significant archaeological potential for understanding early medieval settlement patterns and land management practices in the Ballymena region.
The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2261. View the official record →
The Swine Craes is a raised rath, enclosure and ancient fields site located near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2261.
The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields 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 2261.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Counterscarp rath (6.2 km), Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 (6.8 km), Grahamstown. mound (7.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields'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 swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.