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Wedge Tomb is a Neolithic or Bronze Age megalithic tomb located in Derry, Northern Ireland. The monument is a wedge-shaped chambered cairn, a characteristic megalithic form constructed during the late prehistoric period. Built upon bedrock of the Argyll Group comprising marble and meta-limestone formed during the Neoproterozoic era, the site exploits the local geology typical of this region of the north-west. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 12526.
The wedge tomb type represents a distinctive Irish megalithic tradition, with the characteristic wedge-shaped plan tapering from a higher, broader end to a lower, narrower entrance. Such tombs served as communal burial places for farming communities during the later phases of prehistory. The marble and meta-limestone bedrock beneath this site would have provided both building material and a stable foundation for the cairn structure.
The monument survives as an important archaeological record of early farming settlement patterns and burial practices in the north-west of the island. Its preservation allows study of prehistoric social organisation, monumental investment and landscape use during a formative period of Irish prehistory. The site contributes to understanding the distribution and characteristics of megalithic tombs across the region.
Wedge tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12526. View the official record →
Wedge Tomb is a Neolithic or Bronze Age megalithic tomb located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12526.
Wedge tomb dates from the neo/b.a. period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Wedge tomb 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 12526.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (1.2 km), Cashel (1.4 km), Rath (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Wedge tomb'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.
Wedge tomb stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is marble, meta-limestone.