UNCERTAIN · ENCLOSURE

Two enclosures

Moyle, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 1309
Period
UNCERTAIN
Site type
ENCLOSURE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 1309
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
D2494034080
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Two Enclosures is a pair of earthen enclosures located near Moyle in Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 1309. The site sits upon bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, a sequence of psammite and pelite rocks formed during the Middle Cambrian period, which provides the underlying geology across much of this region.

The monument comprises two distinct enclosed areas, though the precise function and dating of the larger enclosure remain uncertain. Such paired enclosures are characteristic of later prehistoric and early medieval settlement patterns in northern Britain and Ireland, potentially serving domestic, defensive or ceremonial purposes. The earthwork remains visible in the modern landscape despite millennia of agricultural use and natural erosion.

The site's survival at grid reference D2494034080 reflects the often marginal quality of the surrounding terrain, which has limited intensive development. The relationship between the two enclosures and their setting within the wider Moyle landscape provides valuable evidence for understanding prehistoric and early medieval land use in this part of Northern Ireland.

Two enclosures is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1309. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Two enclosures?

Two Enclosures is a pair of earthen enclosures located near Moyle in Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 1309.

What period does Two enclosures date from?

Two enclosures dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Two enclosures?

Two enclosures 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 1309.

What other scheduled monuments are near Two enclosures?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craigagh altar. craighagh altar and enclosure (2.6 km), Rath (4.5 km), Old castle. house (4.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Two enclosures

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

Two enclosures stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.