![Grainan of aileach](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Grainan_of_aileach.jpg)
Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular
fortified
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
settlements that were mostly built during the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
up to about the year 1000. They are found in
Northern Europe
The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...
, especially in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. There are also many in
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
and in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, where they are called rounds.
Ringforts come in many sizes and may be made of stone or earth. Earthen ringforts would have been marked by a
circular rampart
A circular rampart (German: ''Ringwall'') is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering.
The ...
(a bank and ditch), often with a
stakewall. Both stone and earthen ringforts would generally have had at least one building inside.
Distribution
Ireland
In
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
sources they are known by a number of names: ' (anglicised ''rath'', also Welsh ''rath''), ' (anglicised ''lis''; cognate with
Cornish '),
' (anglicised ''cashel''), ' (anglicised ''caher'' or ''cahir''; cognate with
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
', Cornish and
Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
** Breton people
** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Ga ...
') and ' (anglicised ''dun'' or ''doon''; cognate with Welsh and Cornish ').
[Edwards, Nancy. ''The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland''. Routledge, 2006. Page 12.] The ' and ' was an earthen ringfort; the ' being the enclosing bank and the ' being the open space within.
[Seán P Ó Ríordáin, Ruaidhrí De Valera. ''Antiquities of the Irish countryside''. Taylor & Francis, 1979. Page 30.] The ' and ' was a stone ringfort.
The term ' was usually used for any stronghold of importance, which may or may not be ring-shaped.
In Ireland, over 40,000 sites have been identified as ringforts and it is thought that at least 50,000 ringforts existed on the island.
[''New History'', 550] They are common throughout the country, with a mean density of just over one ringfort within any area of . It is likely that many have been destroyed by farming and urbanisation. However, many hitherto unknown ringforts have been found thanks to early
Ordnance Survey
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maps,
aerial photography
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircra ...
, and the archaeological work that has accompanied road-building.
England and Wales
In Cornwall,
parts of Devon, and south Wales, enclosed settlements share many characteristics with their Irish counterparts, including the circular shape and (), and their continuing occupation from the Iron Age into the early medieval period; the form later influencing the distinctive circular shell-keeps found across the medieval
Severnside
The geographical term Severnside refers to an area adjoining or straddling the River Severn or its estuary in Great Britain.
The term is used by different organisations, in different contexts, to refer to quite different areas. The Severn passe ...
region. Few Cornish examples have been archaeologically excavated, with the exception of Trethurgy Rounds.
Scandinavia
Hillforts are also known from Scandinavia, of which nineteen can be found on the Swedish island of
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
alone.
These hillforts are not to be confused with
Viking ring fortress
A Viking ring fortress, or Trelleborg-type fortress, is a type of circular fort of a special design, built in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Collectively, they may also be known as trelleborgs. These fortresses have a strictly circular shape, ...
es, of which seven are known from Denmark and southern Sweden, all from around 980 in the
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...
. The Viking forts all share a strikingly similar design and are collectively referred to as
Trelleborg
Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of December 31, 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian peninsula. It is one of the mo ...
s, after the first excavated fortress of that type in 1936. All the Viking ring fortresses are believed to have been built within a very short timeframe, during the reign of
Harold Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 95 ...
, but for yet unknown military purposes. They might have served as boot camps for
Sweyn Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of D ...
's men before his invasion of England in 1013.
Chronology
The debate on
chronology
Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , '' -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. I ...
is primarily a result of the huge number of ringforts and the failure of any other form of settlement site to survive to modern times in any great quantity from the period before the
Early Christian period or from
Gaelic Ireland
Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...
after the
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
arrival. Three general theories mark the debate on the chronology of Irish ringforts; firstly the theory that wishes to date ringforts back into the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
period; secondly, the theory that seeks to see the continuation of ringfort habitation into the Later Medieval and even the
Modern Period
The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
; finally, the more common and generally accepted theory that ringforts were a product of the second half of the first millennium, a theory which has been given greater definition by
Matthew Stout in recent years. According to the authoritative ''New History of Ireland'' (2005), "archaeologists are agreed that the vast bulk of them are the farm enclosures of the well-to-do of early medieval Ireland".
Theories
![InishmaanRingfort2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/InishmaanRingfort2.jpg)
The theories that the ringfort either pre- or post-dates the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
in Ireland, are both based on essentially the same premise, as is highlighted here by Tadhg O'Keefe in relation to the latter argument:
Dating from the Iron Age
The conjecture that ringforts can be seen to have evolved from and be part of an Iron Age tradition has been expanded by
Darren Limbert. This hypothesis is based on a number of re-interpretations of the available evidence, as well as concern over the available evidence. As only a small portion of ringforts have undergone total excavation, and the fact that these excavations have not taken place on anything like a national level, the evidence is insufficient to place all ringforts and the origins of them within the Early Christian period.
![Caher dun Irghuis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Caher_dun_Irghuis.jpg)
Limbert argues instead, that the ringfort should be seen in the context of a variety of similar developments in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and the
European Continent
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
, particularly in
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
and
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
. While conceding that most ringforts were built in the Early Christian period, he suggests a link between the arrival of
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta () were an Irish dynasty centred on Cashel which dominated southern Ireland (namely the Kingdom of Munster) from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, an ...
dynasty in
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
c. 400 AD, and the introduction of ringforts. In support of this he notes that: "The other major Eoganachta ringforts
Cashel.html" ;"title="Cashel,_Tipperary.html" ;"title="ther than Cashel, Tipperary">Cashel">Cashel,_Tipperary.html" ;"title="ther than Cashel, Tipperary">Cashelof Ballycatten, Garranes and possibly Garryduff, despite limited Stratigraphy, stratigraphic discernment, have produced artefacts of ambiguously early origins. Also, their defensive nature,... supports an intrusion of a
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
ic warrior caste..." The similarity with South Welsh 'raths' and Cornish 'rounds' suggests a degree of cultural interaction between Western British and Irish populations, however differences in dates of occupation mean this cannot be confirmed.
On the island of
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, nineteen ringforts have been identified, including
Eketorp
Eketorp is an Iron Age fort, located on southeastern Öland, Sweden, and extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to m ...
, a site that has been completely excavated and that one may visit. Currently, excavations are ongoing at
Sandby borg, which was the site of a massacre in the 5th century A.D.
It is also possible that the
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara ( ga, Teamhair or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in Iri ...
is an early type of ringfort.
Use continuing into the Later Medieval period
At the opposite end of the spectrum to this, the argument has been put forward to suggest that ringforts were in use, if not being built in the Later Medieval and possibly Early Modern period in Gaelic Ireland. This argument is primarily two-fold, ringforts were gradually converted into what would more generally be considered as mottes today, and there is some slight and contentious archaeological evidence that points to the habitation and construction of obvious ringforts in this later medieval period.
From a
morphological viewpoint, and probably also from the view of the contemporary person, there is little to distinguish a ringfort from a small
earthwork castle or
motte
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
. Indeed, in a number of cases it would appear that either the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
converted existing ringforts into the basis of the future construction of mottes and earthworks, or that the Gaelic Irish, through the use of raised raths, sought to emulate the Norman example. Some
L Plan Castle
L, or l, is the twelfth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''el'' (pronounced ), plural ''els''.
History
Lamedh ...
s, such as
Balingarry Castle in Ireland originated as ringforts.
This theory is supported by a number of excavations, most notably the results of the
Castleskreen II excavation, and the raised raths at
Piper's Fort, and
Ballyfounder, Co.
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
, which seem to have been converted into mottes in the case of Castleskreen II or in the later cases, built in imitation of such constructions. If one were to accept a defensive function for ringforts, it would seem that after the introduction of more complex forms of defensive structures into Ireland this would naturally lead to the use of ringforts and raised raths in a manner analogous to the contemporary Norman buildings.
7th to 10th centuries
While it would seem probable that some ringforts may have seen continuation in the Later Medieval period as adapted or imitation mottes it seems doubtful if the continuation that ringforts were still being built on a more general scale throughout the country, and the evidence put forward for such a theory would appear quite slim. The excavations which support such a theory, most notably Rynne's excavation at
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...
of Garrynamona which is suggestive of a 15th-century ringfort being constructed, have failed to win any form of widespread popular acceptance.
The most common theory however is that ringforts are the product of the later half of the first millennium, a theory that has generally been supported by the excavated evidence of the period, and one that has seen remarkable if slightly ambitious definition from Matthew Stout. In his work
''The Irish Ringfort'', Stout has sought to use the
radiocarbon
Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
and
dendrochronological dates from 114 ringforts and associated sites to find an overall date pattern for the use of ringforts; and through this has placed over half of all ringforts in the period 540 AD to 884 AD with two-thirds falling within the 600 AD to 900 AD period. While this method has brought the dating of the ringfort phase of Irish history to an ever more accurate level, certain problems do exist with his analysis. Firstly, as he notes himself, the research is overly biased towards
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
(64% of dated sites were from Ulster), and the dates come from a very small sample of sites relative to the total number of ringforts. Finally, Stout's use of radiocarbon dating is to one standard deviation, which means that there is an approximately one third chance that the data offered is inaccurate by up to 100 years on either side. Yet despite these difficulties, Stout's analysis has to a large extent brought a degree of finality to the debate of the dating and use of ringforts, with it being more or less certain that the vast majority were probably occupied and constructed in the second half of the first millennium. His analysis is further supported by
Gerald of Wales
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...
who commented that ringforts in Ireland, were known as Daneforts, and that they had been abandoned by the late 12th century when he was in Ireland.
Function
In agriculture
It has traditionally been understood that the ringfort was a dispersed farmstead, the home of a free man and his family and the centre of a mixed agricultural economy to a large extent dominated by cattle. A medieval Irish law text describes a prosperous farmer - in Old Irish - as having a dwelling house, a sheep-pen, a calf-pen and a pig-sty - it would seem that these were all within the ring-fort.
Evidence suggests that not all ringforts were farmsteads, but rather that ringforts appeared to have fulfilled a variety of other functions as well. The most celebrated example of this is Garryduff II in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
. This ringfort which is overlooked and in close proximity to another larger ringfort, Garryduff I, has provided archaeologists with no evidence of habitation or settlement, and the pre-eminent theory at the moment is that this ringfort was possibly used as an enclosure for livestock.
However, this interpretation is still the most commonly held in academic, archaeological and popular debate, although
pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...
studies and other evidence have greatly modified the traditional view of the dominance of livestock as opposed to arable farming in early medieval Ireland, making it clear that cereal production was much more important than once thought in the Early Medieval period.
In industry
Other sites have provided evidence that ringforts may not have principally been farmsteads, but rather had a more diverse and significant role in the economy. A good example of this is provided by the large, tri-vallate ringfort in Garannes, County Cork, which offers no evidence for habitation or settlement but provides a great deal of evidence to suggest that the site had an industrial nature. Furthermore, the finds of continental
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
at the site, suggests that the site was trading with the continent and/or may have been acting as a gateway centre for similar high status goods into the local economy. Both Garannes, and especially Garryduff II, highlight the other roles that ringforts may have had in early Christian Ireland. While it would seem that most ringforts fitted the traditional explanation as farmsteads, that should not be used as a blanket explanation. A number of other functions for many of the surviving ringforts, such as those outlined above and possibly other settlement functions, still need to be considered.
In defence
A ringfort is a defensive feature that would appear to be obvious both from the name with the defensive implications that fort implies, and also from the generally understood morphological definition of the ringfort, with the banks and fosse been commonly seen as defensive. Indeed, in
S. Ó Ríordáin's common morphological definition, he refers to the banks and fosses of the ringfort as defences.
One presumes that the ringfort had a defensive aspect, and in a cattle-dominated society it is generally argued that the purpose of the ringfort was to provide protection to a small community and their livestock during a 'hit and run' raid for cattle, the idea being that the ringfort would provide adequate defence for a small period of time. This theory is strengthened by the idea of 'visual territories' which operates from the assumption that all ringfort in a region were probably occupied contemporarily, and that in a particular area one ringfort would be in the sight of at least one other neighbouring ringfort so that if one ringfort were attacked, relief would possibly come from a neighbouring one. Furthermore, a number of aspects of the generally circular nature of the ringfort highlight the defensive advantages, most notably that a circle as a shape "offered broad perspectives of approaching attackers and allowed the maximum area to be enclosed relative to the length of the bank constructed."
In aristocracy
While defence may be expanded as the modern day explanation for the surrounding banks of a ringfort, this was not the contemporary explanation, rather the explanations forthcoming from the Early Christian texts stress the importance and role of the banks in signifying
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
, kingship and authority. This relationship can be quite clearly seen in the following extract from the
Críth Gablach:
As can be seen from the above text, the relationship between the banks of a ringfort and vassalage is quite clear. With the argument being that the more elaborate the ringfort, usually in the forms of multiple outlying banks, the higher the status of the occupant. This emphasis on status in the function of the ringfort over that of defence would explain a number of defensive weaknesses of the ringfort. Banks, or multiples of them, would not appear to offer the best return to their builders for their defensive value in comparison to a fence or a hedge. Also, few of the ringforts where buildings have been found inside, would be able to survive a night with a herd of cattle brought inside the ringfort. Furthermore, little effort would appear to have been expended on the upkeep of ditches and fosses to prevent decay and silting. Another key difficulty with viewing the ringfort primarily as a defensive unit is the general lack of ability to fight out from the ringforts, from the top of the banks.
Legends and folklore concerning ringforts and rounds
The materials used to construct ringforts frequently disintegrated over time. Tradition associated their circular remains with
fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
and
leprechaun
A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. I ...
s, and they were called ''“
fairy fort
Fairy forts (also known as ''lios'' or ''raths'' from the Irish, referring to an earthen mound) are the remains of stone circles, ringforts, hillforts, or other circular prehistoric dwellings in Ireland. From (possibly) the late Iron Age to ...
s"''. Castle Pencaire on
Tregonning Hill
Tregonning Hill is the westerly of two granite hills overlooking Mount's Bay in west Cornwall, United Kingdom, the other being Godolphin Hill. They are approximately west of the town of Helston. The Plymouth chemist William Cookworthy mixed chi ...
was regarded as the abode of giants.
Chun Castle in
Morvah
Morvah is a civil parish and village on the Penwith peninsula in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Geography
The village is centred approximately eight miles (13 km) west-southwest of St Ives and north-west of Penzance.Ordnance S ...
is related as the home of the giant ''Denbras'' who is buried by the character Tom at
Chun Quoit from oral folklore recorded by
William Bottrell
William Bottrell (1816–1881) was born at Rafta, St Levan in Cornwall on 7 March 1816. He contributed greatly to the preservation of Cornish mythology. Both he and Thomas Quiller Couch contributed folk stories of West Cornwall for Robert Hunt's ...
published 1870.
Kelly Rounds
Kelly Rounds, or Castle Killibury is an Iron Age hill fort in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated beside the A39 trunk road approximately two miles east of Wadebridge.
The site is north of the village of St Mabyn, approximately 3 ...
(Castle Kilibury) in
Triggshire
The hundred (division), hundred of Trigg (also known as Triggshire) was one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall—see "Hundreds of Cornwall".
Trigg is mentioned by name during the 7th century, as "Pagus Tricurius", "land of three w ...
is often proposed as the location of King Arthur's
Celliwig Celliwig, Kelliwic or Gelliwic is perhaps the earliest named location for the court of King Arthur. It may be translated as 'forest grove'.
Literary references
It is mentioned in the Welsh tale ''Culhwch and Olwen'' whose manuscript dates from the ...
, known from the Welsh poem
''Pa Gwr yw y Porthawr?'' and described in the 11th century
Culhwch and Olwen
''Culhwch and Olwen'' ( cy, Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, c. 1400, and a fragmented version in the Whit ...
.
Castle Dore
Castle Dore is an Iron Age hill fort (ringfort) near Fowey in Cornwall, United Kingdom located at . It was probably occupied from the 5th or 4th centuries BC until the 1st century BC. It consists of two ditches surrounding a circular ar ...
is often proposed as the court of
King Mark
Mark of Cornwall ( la, Marcus, kw, Margh, cy, March, br, Marc'h) was a sixth-century King of Kernow (Cornwall), possibly identical with King Conomor. He is best known for his appearance in Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and the husb ...
(Mergh Cunomor / Marcus Cunomorus) in the romance
Drustan hac Yseult, the doomed hero sailing the seas from Brittany to Ireland to seek his love.
List of notable ringforts
;Ireland
*
Cahercommaun
Cahercommaun (), sometimes ''Cahercommane'', is a triple stone ringfort on the south-east edge of the Burren area, in Kilnaboy, near the rural village of Carran, in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was built in the 9th century.
Fe ...
(Cathair Chomáin) – ringfort/
promontory fort
A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to da ...
*
Caherconnell (Cathair Chonaill)
*
Caherconree (Cathair Conraoi) – ringfort/promontory fort
*
Caherdaniel
Caherdaniel () is a village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on the Iveragh peninsula on the Ring of Kerry. It is on the southwestern side of the peninsula, facing onto Derrynane Bay, at a T-junction on the N70 road.
A stone ringfort (''cathai ...
(Cathair Dónall)
*
Dún Aonghasa
Dún Aonghasa (Unofficial anglicised version Dun Aengus) is the best-known of several prehistoric hill forts on the Aran Islands of County Galway, Ireland. It lies on Inis Mór, at the edge of a cliff.
A popular tourist attraction, ''Dún A ...
– ringfort/promontory fort
*
Dún Dúchathair – ringfort/promontory fort
*
Grianán Ailigh
The Grianan of Aileach ( ; ga, Grianán Ailigh ), sometimes anglicised as Greenan Ely or Greenan Fort, is a hillfort atop the high Greenan Mountain at Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The main structure is a stone ringfort, thought to ha ...
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Lisnagade (Lios na gCead)
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Mooghaun
Mooghaun () is a late Bronze Age hill fort located in County Clare, Ireland. It is a well preserved, recently excavated site, occupying an entire hill with wide views of the surrounding lands. Believed to be the largest hill fort in Ireland, i ...
(An Múchán)
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Mount Sandel Fort
Mount Sandel Fort is an Iron Age fort in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The remains of the fort are located close to the Mount Sandel Mesolithic site. Mount Sandel Fort mound is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland o ...
(Cill Santail)
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Staigue (An Stéig)
The
royal sites of Ireland
The royal sites of Ireland were the seats of the Gaelic kings of Ireland. Medieval sources describe them as the ceremonial capitals of various Irish kingdoms, where kingly inaugurations, assemblies and athletic games were held. Archaeological i ...
are also sometimes called ringforts, although their role seems to have been mainly ceremonial. They include:
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Cruachan
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Dún Ailinne
Dún Ailinne (; sometimes anglicized Dun Aulin) is an ancient ceremonial site on the hill of Cnoc Ailinne (Knockaulin) in County Kildare, Ireland. It is southwest of Kilcullen, near the R418 road to Athy. It is a large circular enclosure coveri ...
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Navan Fort
Navan Fort ( sga, Emain Macha ; ga, Eamhain Mhacha, label= Modern Irish ) is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the cap ...
(Eamhain Mhacha)
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Tara (Teamhair)
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Tlachta
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Tullahoge (Tulaigh Óg)
; Cornwall (Cornish rounds)
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Caer Bran
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Carlidnack
Carlidnack (or Carlinack) is a hamlet in the parish of Mawnan, Cornwall, England. Carlidnack lies south-west of Falmouth on a road leading north-east from Mawnan Smith and at around above sea level.
There is evidence of an ancient settlement ...
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Castle an Dinas
Castle an Dinas is an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs near St Columb Major in Cornwall, UK () and is considered one of the most important hillforts in the southwest of Britain. It dates from around the 3rd to 2nd century BCE and ...
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Castle Dore
Castle Dore is an Iron Age hill fort (ringfort) near Fowey in Cornwall, United Kingdom located at . It was probably occupied from the 5th or 4th centuries BC until the 1st century BC. It consists of two ditches surrounding a circular ar ...
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Chûn Castle
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Helsbury Castle[
* ]Kelly Rounds
Kelly Rounds, or Castle Killibury is an Iron Age hill fort in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated beside the A39 trunk road approximately two miles east of Wadebridge.
The site is north of the village of St Mabyn, approximately 3 ...
* Penventinnie Round – well preserved circular fort
* Prideaux (Pridias)
* Tregonning – rounds associated with circular hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
* Trethurgy – an excavated round
*Warbstow Bury
Warbstow Bury is an Iron Age hillfort about west of the village of Warbstow, in Cornwall, England. It is a scheduled monument.
Location and description
The site is above sea level, on a hill at the heads of two tributaries of the River Ottery. ...
- regarded as the 'one of the largest and best preserved multivallate hillforts' in Cornwal
English heritage Report
* Cadson Bury
Cadson Bury is an Iron Age hillfort about south-west of Callington, in Cornwall, England.
It is owned by the National Trust, , Callington
Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston.
Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...
– often associated with the Arthurian Celliwig Celliwig, Kelliwic or Gelliwic is perhaps the earliest named location for the court of King Arthur. It may be translated as 'forest grove'.
Literary references
It is mentioned in the Welsh tale ''Culhwch and Olwen'' whose manuscript dates from the ...
;Denmark (Viking ring fortresses)
*Aggersborg
Aggersborg is the largest of Denmark's former Viking ring fortress, and one of the largest archaeological sites in Denmark. It is located near Aggersund on the north side of the Limfjord. It consists of a circular rampart surrounded by a ditch. F ...
*Fyrkat
Fyrkat is a former Viking ring castle in Denmark, dating from c. 980 AD. It is located near the town of Hobro, some distance from the present end of the Mariager Fjord in Northern Jutland. The fortress is built on a narrow piece of land, with a str ...
*Nonnebakken
Nonnebakken (literally, "The Nun Hill") is a hill in Odense, Denmark. It is the site of one of Denmark's six former Viking ring castles, built during the reign of Sweyn Forkbeard, who had forced his father Harold Bluetooth to leave the country a ...
*Trelleborg (Slagelse)
The Trelleborg (or Trælleborg), west of Slagelse on the Danish island of Zealand, is one of seven known Viking ring castles. When built, the fortress was situated on a peninsula that jutted into the swampy area between two rivers. The swamp was ...
;Sweden
*Eketorp
Eketorp is an Iron Age fort, located on southeastern Öland, Sweden, and extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to m ...
* Ismantorp
* Sandby borg - site of a preserved massacre
;Germany
* Ringwall of Burg
* Ringwall of Otzenhausen
;Estonia
*Valjala Stronghold
The Valjala Stronghold ( la, Castrum Waldia, et, Valjala Maalinn) was a major ringfort on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. Established in the 12th century, at the time it was the most important Oeselian stronghold. Its surrender in 1227 final ...
*Varbola Stronghold
The Varbola Stronghold ( la, Castrum Warbole, et, Varbola Jaanilinn) was the largest circular rampart fortress and trading centre built in Estonia, in Harju County ( la, Harria) in the 10th – 12th centuries. Parts of the ruins of the long ...
See also
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Notes
References
* "New History", Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí ed. (2005). ''A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and early Ireland'', (Volume 1 of series), Oxford University Press,
Further reading/sources
* GF Barrett and BJ Graham, ''Some considerations concerning the dating and distribution of Ring-Forts in Ireland'' in Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 38., 1975 pp. 33–45
* Michelle Comber, ''Trade and Communication Networks in Early Historic Ireland'' in The Journal of Archaeology, X, 2001
* Nancy Edward, ''The archaeology of early medieval Ireland'', Batsford, London, 1996
* PJ Graham & LJ Proudfoot, ''An Historical Geography of Ireland'', Academic Press, London, 1993
* Darren Limbert, ''Irish Ringforts: A review of their Origins'' in Archaeological Journal, 153, 1996, pp. 243–289
* CJ Lynn ''Some Early Ringforts and crannógs'' in The Journal of Irish Archaeology, I, 1983, p. 47–58
* Eoin MacNeill ''Ancient Irish Law : The Law of Status or Franchise" in the Royal Irish Academy, Volume XXXVI, C, 1923 pp. 365–316
* JP Mallory & TE McNeill, ''The Archaeology of Ulster from Colonisation to Plantation'', Institute of Irish Studies, Belfast, 1991
* Tadhg O'Keefe, ''Medieval Ireland – An archaeology'', Tempus, Gloucestershire, 2000
* MJ O'Kelly, ''Two Ringforts at Garryduff, Co. Cork'' in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 63C, 1962 pp. 17–125
* SP Ó Ríordáin ''The excavation of a large Earthen Ringfort at Garranes, Co. Cork'' in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 47C, 1942, pp. 77–150
* Matthew Stout, ''Early Christian Ireland: Settlement and environment'' in ''A History of Settlement in Ireland'', TB Barry (ed), London, 2000, pp. 81–109
* Matthew Stout, ''The Irish Ringfort'', Four Court Press, Dublin, 1997
* Aiden O'Sullivan, Finbar McCormick, Thomas R. Kerr, and Lorcan Harney, ''Early Medieval Ireland AD 400-1100: The Evidence from Archaeological Excavations'', Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, 2013, 2014.
External links
Details of archaeological excavations in Ireland
{{Fortifications
Fortifications by type
Archaeology of Ireland
Forts in Ireland
Archaeology of Wales
Prehistoric Ireland