Creggandevesky Court Tomb

Creggandevesky Court Tomb

Creggandevesky Court Tomb, or Creggandevesky Portal Tomb, is a Neolithic tomb at the centre of the largest concentration of megalithic tombs in Tyrone: within a three mile radius of this site are six court tombs, three portal tombs and three wedge tombs.

The Creggandevesky tomb consists of a trapezoidal cairn with a semi-circular open court at the south-eastern end. The excavation revealed that the tomb had partially collapsed in antiquity, but underneath this collapse it was in an excellent state of preservation. The cairn is trapezoidal in shape, measuring 60 feet long, 43 feet wide at the front and 21 feet wide at the back. The edge of the cairn is defined by a dry-stone revetment all around.

The tomb entrance, through a portal with an in situ lintel, leads into a burial gallery of three chambers which is built of locally found glacial boulders worked to suit the design. The burial gallery is divided into three chambers by two pairs of jamb stones. The cremated remains of twenty-one individuals accompanied by pottery, flint tools and weapons all relating to the Neolithic period were found here, and a fine stone bead necklace.

Some finds at the site also suggest later activity here in the Bronze Age. Radiocarbon dates obtained from samples recovered during the excavation suggest that the tomb was in use for more than one hundred years, in the middle of the 4th millennium BC

Location

• Location map: 54°37’10"N, 7°0’2"W
• Streetmap: H64607504

References

• Creggandevesky Court Tomb: Department for Communities NI
• Creggandevesky Court Tomb: Monuments Record