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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Mass-rock

Archerstown, County Laois, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Mass-rock, Archerstown, County Laois, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Archerstown
County
Laois
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
52.80638, -7.39101
SMR number
LA035-049001-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

On the W bank of a stream within the NE quadrant of a large enclosure (LA035-049----), in a flat river valley. The stream forms the county boundary between Laois and Kilkenny. The land rises to the S and W within the large enclosure. A large conglomerate boulder (dims. 2.1m x 1m; H 0.66m to W; H 1m to E), roughly aligned N-S. The rough, broad, upper surface of the boulder faces westward into the enclosure but does not form level surface as it slopes continuously from E to W. Possible tradition of this being a mass-rock. It is possible that the large enclosure may have ecclesiastical origins, which may explain the association of the boulder with a religious activity.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 6 June 2017

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Mass-rock in Laois All County Laois records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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