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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
53.48085, -7.28640
SMR number
WM026-040----

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 rise, in undulating pasture, with good views to NW, N and E. Depicted on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork defined by an inner scarp and an outer scarp which has been defaced by an orchard from E-S. Depicted on the revised 1913 OS 25-inch map as a subcircular-shaped earthwork enclosed by an inner scarp, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. Monument described in 1971 as almost completely levelled consisting of a roughly circular-shaped area enclosed by a low poorly preserved bank. The monument is primarily levelled from S-W-N-ENE and is defined by the remains of a low, levelled scarp from ENE-E-ESE. A small portion of bank (overall Wth 4.5m; Wth at top 0.3m; int. H 0.3m; ext. H 0.2m) is present from ESE-SSE-S. The original entrance is not recognisable. The interior is slightly uneven and has a general N-facing slope. A circular depression with slight mounds of upcast around it is located in the NNW quadrant. The monument is clearly visible today as a roughly circular-shaped cropmark on Digital Globe aerial photography.

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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