Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Glascarn

Situated on a gentle E-facing slope, in slightly undulating pasture, with fairly good views in all directions. Ringfort (WM018-112----) lies c. 90m to NW. Depicted as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a much modified rectangular-shaped earthwork. Monument described in 1980 as a roughly subcircular-shaped earthwork (37.5m ENE-WSW; 34m NNW-SSE) enclosed by a bank, an intervening fosse and the remains of an outer bank. There is a large quarry depression which has disturbed the perimeter from SW-W-NW and a large portion of the interior in the SW and W quadrants. The low inner bank of earth and stone is best preserved from NNW-N-NE and E-S, but with a number of small gaps. A wide gap (Wth 5.5m) in the bank at E may represent the entrance, whilst a gap at SSW appears to be relatively modern. The intervening fosse is fairly wide and deep and survives from NNW-N-NNE and from SE-S, where it may have been recut. The outer bank of earth and stones only survives from NNW-N-NNE, where it is slight and from SE-S, where it is more substantial and may have been modified. The interior is much disturbed due to quarrying and the surviving portion slopes from the centre down to the perimeter at NE, E and SE. A modern laneway runs NW-SE just outside the perimeter to SW. Monument is visible as a subcircular-shaped tree-planted earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 11 February 2019