Dunmore Cover

On a broad flat terrace of the low hills to the E of the Nore river valley, in rolling grassland. There are fair to good views in all directions. Indicated as a large roughly circular (diam. c. 190m) enclosure from E-S-N called 'Dunmore Cover' on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map, with Dunmore House in the edge of the N quadrant. The curvilinear enclosure is not evident in the NE quadrant where straight field boundaries encroach around the edge. The SW edge of the enclosure is retained in a field boundary but elsewhere the monument has been levelled. The SE edge is visible as a cropmark on satellite imagery (Google Earth, 6 June 2018). According to the landowner when this field was ploughed a wide stoney curvilinear spread (L. c. 160m) could be seen, presumably the remnants of the former bank. The enclosure functioned as a 'cover', an area set aside for game, in 1839, however, the cover may have been utilising an existing earlier enclosure. Within the SE quadrant another curvilinear enclosure (KK014-159----), (diam. c. 70m) which is faintly visible as a cropmark on the satellite imagery (Google Earth, 6 June 2018). This latter enclosure may not be contemporary with the outer enclosure. See attached Google Earth image (imagery date 6 June 2018) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 27 June 2023