Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Hanstown

Situated atop low natural gravel hillock in area of reclaimed undulating grassland with good views in all directions. Slight rise of ground or low hillock marks site of levelled earthwork which may have been the site of a small ringfort. Monument was levelled in 1964 during reclamation of the field in which the monument was situated . The monument was inspected in 1964 prior to its levelling when it was described as following: ‘Small esker, slightly scarped round the foot to give it a clean edge. Not so far as I can see of archaeological interest. A patch of dry ground in an otherwise boggy field it was probably used for hay’ (SMR File). Recorded in 1971 as a monument that had been completely levelled and described a following: ‘The site is a small oval fairly steep egg-shaped natural rise (dims. 19.8m WNW-ESE; 29m NNE-SSW). The present surface of the site is disturbed gravelly earth. The site could have been a small rath. Sited on relatively lowlying land which was probably wet until the present drains were recently made. The land around the site has been recently reclaimed’ (SMR File 1971). On the Ordnance Survey fair plan map the monument is depicted as a small circular earthwork and marked as a fort (SMR File). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 23 May 2014