Henge

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the floodplain on the N bank of a W-E section of the River Boyne, c. 140m from the river in Brú na Bóinne. This was first identified through a LiDAR survey (Davis et al. 2010, 180, LP2) as a low-profile mound (ME019-094001-) with slight traces of an outer enclosure (ext. diam. c. 140m) defined by an extremely low bank. Geophysical survey (10R0124: Barton 2010a) of the mound revealed evidence of an excavated feature (dims 16m x 2m) aligned roughly NNE-SSW with splayed terminals, each 7m wide. It was suggested (Davis et. al. 2013, 233) that this may represent the remains of a passage tomb. Aerial photographs taken by the National Monuments Service in July 2018 (Condit and Keegan 2018, 36-43) show that the enclosure (int. diam. 114m N-S; 103m E-W), which has come to be known as the Univallate Henge, is defined by a relatively slight earthen bank (Wth c. 7.5m) with an internal segmented ditch surrounding the central mound. The 24 segments of ditch (dims 6.2-7.3m x 1.5m) are remarkably regular with in-turned ends and are placed 4.9-5.3m apart. A likely entrance is identified at ESE where the bank appears to be absent and there is a wider gap between the fosse segments. About 20m inside the segmented ditch at N an arc of a parallel ditch and other features are tentatively visible. The perimeter is interrupted by a NNE-SSW field bank at W, and the mortuary enclosure (ME019-094002-) interrupts the bank of the henge at NW. Another long mortuary enclosure (ME019-094003-) is just outside the henge at ENE, and the Geometric Henge (ME026-033----) is c. 80m to the ESE.

See the attached aerial view from SW

Compiled by: Paul Walsh
Revised by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 08 October 2025

References

Condit, T. and Keegan, M. 2018 Aerial investigation and mapping of the Newgrange landscape, Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath. Interim Report. Available online

Barton, K. 2010b INSTAR: Boyne Valley Landscape Project, Phase III. Geophysical Survey of Site LP2, Newgrange, Co. Meath. Licence No. 10R0124. Unpublished report, Landscape and Geophysical Services

Davis, S., Megarry, W., Brady, C., Lewis, H., Cummins, T., Guinan, L., Turner, J., Gallagher, C., Brown, T. and Meehan, R. 2010 Boyne Valley Landscapes Project. Phase III Final Report 2010. The Heritage Council. https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/332/1/AR01047_Boyne_Valley_Final_Report_10.pdf 

Davis, S., Brady, C., Megarry, W. and Barton, K. 2013 Lidar survey in the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. In R. Opitz and D. Cowley (eds) Interpreting Archaeological Topography: Lasers, 3D Data, Observation, Visualisation and Applications, 223-37. Oxford. Oxbow Books.