Court Tomb from Ballyutoag
The Court Tomb of Ballyutoag ( Irish Baile Uchtóg ; also "The Hanging Thorn Cairn") is the remainder of a court tomb on M'Ilwhan's Hill, northwest of Belfast in County Antrim in Northern Ireland . Court Tombs or Court Cairns ( German "Hofgräber" ) belong to the megalithic chamber tombs ( English chambered tombs ) of the British Isles . With around 400 specimens, they are found almost exclusively in the north of Ireland or in the province of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
description
Only the stones of the atrium are in situ . Its 12 stones form a semicircular structure that is open to the north. There are only scattered megaliths to the south of it that may be remains of the chambers, but they have no significant arrangement. No stone appears to be set, which suggests that none is in its original position. A hawthorn (Crataegus) stands between two stones in the yard. He is known as "the hanging thorn". Tradition has it that a man was hung from him in 1798. However, it is unclear whether the existing tree is the original.
The excavation of the forecourt yielded considerable amounts of pottery and some charcoal.
Legend
The area is associated with the robber Nishy Hogan, who is believed to have buried a lot of gold. The vague note reads: "Stand where you can see five loughs, take eleven strides and there the gold is buried". From the place where you can overlook five lakes, take 11 steps, that's where the gold is buried. Since Hogan is said to have jumped over the mouth of the Lagan , he must have been a man of great strides.
literature
- Ivor J. Herring: The forecourt, Hanging Thorn cairn, M'Ilwhan's Hill, Ballyutoag, Ligoneil. In: Proceedings and Reports of the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. 2nd Series, Vol. 1, Part 2, 1936/1937, pp. 43-49, ( digitized version ).
- BB Williams: Excavations at Ballyutoag, County Antrim In: Ulster Journal of Archeology Third Series, 47, 37-49 (1984)
Web links
- Description Engl. and pictures (last accessed December 5, 2012)
Coordinates: 54 ° 38 '45.7 " N , 6 ° 0' 8.1" W.