Embanked enclosure, Gaulstown, Co. Waterford

Co. Waterford |

Enclosures

Embanked enclosure, Gaulstown, Co. Waterford

In a field at Gaulstown in County Waterford, two concentric earthen enclosures sit on a north-west-facing slope, one wrapped around the other with a grassy berm between them. That layered arrangement is what makes the site quietly anomalous. Most earthwork enclosures found across the Irish countryside present a single bank defining a roughly circular space, but here there are two distinct boundaries, separated by a gap that widens from about five and a half metres on the west side to fifteen metres on the east, suggesting the space between them may have had its own function rather than serving merely as a boundary zone.

The inner enclosure is subcircular, roughly 35 metres north to south and 29 metres east to west, and is defined by an overgrown earthen bank between two and a half and four metres wide. Unusually, there is no visible fosse, the ditch that typically accompanies such banks, and no identifiable original entrance. The outer enclosure is larger, approximately 60 metres across, and its bank is stone-faced on at least one side, a detail that sets it apart from the inner one and may point to a different phase of construction or a different intended character. The only entrance visible today is a modern gap at the north-east. Enclosures of this general type are associated in Ireland with a broad range of uses across prehistory and the early medieval period, from settlement and agriculture to ritual activity, though without excavation the purpose of this particular example remains open.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Embanked enclosure, Gaulstown, Co. Waterford. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement