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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Vilanstown, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Vilanstown, County Westmeath, 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
Vilanstown
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.48684, -7.28436
SMR number
WM026-034----

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

Situated on a prominent rise, in gently undulating pasture, with excellent views in all directions. Annotated ‘fort’ on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map and depicted as a roughly circular-shaped tree-planted earthwork . Shown on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a subcircular-shaped earthwork bisected by a trackway running ENE-WSW. Levelled monument described in 1971 as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork (dims. 42m E-W; 41.30m N-S) defined by a very slight scarp. A modern fence curves just outside the scarp from ESE-S-W and a cropmark consisting of a yellow band of vegetation defines the exterior from WNW-N-E-ESE, suggesting the location of a fosse. The original entrance way is not visible. The interior has a slight E-facing slope and there are traces of E-W cultivation ridges running E-W across the S half. A depression running ENE-WSW across the centre of the monument defined a former demesne avenue associated with Larkfield House, which lies c. 200m to E. Outline of levelled monument visible today on Digital Globe aerial photograph.

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 02 October 2019

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 Ringfort - rath in Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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