Historical Settlements

Historical Settlements Overview

• Pre-Christian Settlements

  • Megalithic Tomb (Neolithic Period): Burial sites made of large stones, evidence of early farmers, about 1,200 exist.
  • Standing Stones (Bronze Age): Mark graves, boundaries, or routes, often with ogham writings.
  • Fulacht Fia (Bronze Age): Open-air cooking sites with water and hot stones. Used from Bronze Age to 1000 CE.
  • Celtic Ring Forts (600 BCE): Enclosed farm settlements, often on raised sites, used for protection and livestock.
  • Crannogs (Celtic Era): Forts on lakes, connected by dismantable pathways, circular in shape.
  • Promontory Forts (Iron Age): Built on cliffs for defense, sealed with stone walls.

• Early Christian Settlements (500 CE - 1000 CE)

  • Round Towers: Likely served as bell towers and refuges at monastic sites.
  • Churches: Initially timber, later stone; centers of the monastic structure.
  • Holy Wells: Associated with saints, became pilgrimage sites for health and devotion.

• Norman Settlements (1169 CE)

  • Castles: Built for defense; towns grew around them for protection and trade.
  • Abbeys: Self-contained living and service complexes for monks, promoting trade and urban growth.

• Plantation Town Settlement (16th to 18th C): Towns formed for English and Scottish settlers, designed around landlord estates, often better-looking villages.