Enclosure, Bennetsbridge, Co. Kildare

Co. Kildare |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Bennetsbridge, Co. Kildare

Somewhere beneath a field near Bennetsbridge in County Kildare, the outline of an ancient enclosure survives, invisible at ground level but legible from the air. It belongs to a category of site that only reveals itself under the right conditions, when a dry summer draws moisture unevenly from the soil and the grass above a buried ditch begins to yellow or green at a different rate to the surrounding crop. The result, visible in aerial photographs, is a cropmark, a faint geometric signature pressed into the landscape by whatever once stood or was enclosed here.

What the aerial record shows is a sub-circular enclosure defined by a narrow fosse, the term used for a ditch dug as a boundary or defensive feature around a settlement or structure. The roughly circular form is characteristic of early medieval ringforts, which served as farmsteads and enclosed dwellings across Ireland for several centuries, though without excavation it is impossible to assign a firm date or function to this particular example. The evidence comes from a single aerial photograph, reference GB89.AI.15, which captured the cropmark at a moment when the buried archaeology briefly announced itself through the living crop above it.

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 Enclosure, Bennetsbridge, Co. Kildare. 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