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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Concentric enclosure

Hanstown, County Westmeath, Ireland

The record

Townland
Hanstown
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.49108, -7.42840
SMR number
WM025-065----

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

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (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

Situated atop low rise of ground with good views in all directions. A slight rise of ground marks the site of a levelled ringfort in a field which appears to have been recently reclaimed. This monument was inspected in 1971 and described as following: ‘About half of the rath has been demolished at present, it consists of the remains of two widely spaced earthen banks (gap Wth 15m; overall diam. 60m E-W; 45m) which formed presumably circles or approximate circles originally. The inner bank curves from WNW-ENE. There is no definite trace of a fosse connected with it. The outer bank extends from WNW-N-E-ESE. It has slight suggestions of a fosse. The inner bank is more substantial than the outer bank. A later NW-SE bank crosses the site from the points on the WNW and ESE on the outer bank. On the ESE a slighter bank cum scarp springs away from the end of the outer bank. Another scarp and fosse swing away from the outer bank on the WNW. There are banks and fosses in the field and also in the field to the SE of the monument. The original entrance to the rath is not recognisable. In the inner enclosure (diam. 35m E-W; 20m N-S) on the ESE an irregular bank forms part of a small elongated enclosure which is partly covered by the NW-SE bank. This is probably a hut site. In the inner enclosure and to the NNE of the later NW-SE bank there are four small low circular flat-topped mounds of unknown significance. They appear to be too small to be house sites and are probably later features as one of them partly overlies the inner bank on the NNW’ (SMR File 1971).

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 23 May 2014

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
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