Some Ulster Souterrains. Author(S): Mary Hobson Source: the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ZENODO Some Ulster Souterrains. Author(s): Mary Hobson Source: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 39 (Jan. - Jun., 1909), pp. 220-227 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2843293 Accessed: 04-11-2015 18:17 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Wiley and Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:17:23 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 220 SOME ULSTER SOUTERRAINS. BY MARY HOBSON. FOR manyyears past I have lost few opportunitiesof visiting and measuringany souterrainsof which I have heard. The sutmtotal is not so great as at firstmight be expected,owing to our very wet climate. So many are situated far from a railway stationi,occasionally in almost inaccessible places, and being undergroundare subject to flooding,somne of which never dry up and are consequentlyinmpossible to enter, others I have waited for months to see, and again great nuimbersare closed, the entrances lost, and even their existence forgotten. I have been able to tell people that one existed on theirown land. I have carefullymeasured all that I shall have occasion to mentionand made sketchesand taken photographsof some entrances. The measured drawings are by Florence F. iobson. I need hardlysay that souterrainis the nlame that we give to artificialunderground caves in Ireland. They are buiiltof unhewn field stones and take the formof narrowchambers and long passages roofedover with large flag stones and are absolutely devoid of mortar. I shall deal alnmost exclusivelywith those in the two counties of Antrim and Down. Farther south a circulartype of structureoccurs. I have said that theyare underground. That is so except in an earthenfort and in rare cases wherethe earthhas been removed. One is always struckby the smallnessof the entrances(which are most cunningly concealed) and also of the doorways between one chamber and another; almost always one has to lie down flat and creep through,and some I have been in are too smnallto admit the widthof shoulderof an average sized man, a point I shall draw atten- / 4,., ZfTOYZCILAWE tion to later. The structuresare quite dark and of an even temperatureall the year round. They are near the surface and I have never come across any bad air. I will take the Antrimcaves first. At the 1 fa LA footof Knockdhu,a hill overlookingthe coast- road fromLarne, is a souterraincontaining six chamberswith a lengthof 87 feet exclusiveof IStGae oI a floodedchamber (Fig. 1). Again and again I am struck by the frequencywith which prehistoricmolnuments FIG. I. are foundquite near to the caves; in this case This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:17:23 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions MARY HOBSON.-Some UlsterSouter-rains 221 we have a aiant's grave 32 feetlong, a standingstone 17 feet9 incheshigh, a second giant's grave,a kistvaen,etc. A small but perfect cave occurs at Crebillynear Ballymena; it containstwo chambers. At Shankbridgeis a finefort known as Fort Hill, and in it a cave. The first chamberis 10 feetlong and 5 feethigh, second chamber15 feetlong, and near the far end on the rightis one of the low doorwaysleading to anotherclhamnber which is flooded; it is probablethat this structureruns right throughthe fort,as on the oppositeside is what looks like anotherentrance. On the road to Crumlin fromBelfast is LisnataylorFort. The cave in it FORT oF- R055 ., ~| i - f e ~~~FORT ~~~~ A~~~~~ | / I ~~~~/lie ENTRAtiCF 5O ErO P LA l L*P$ Bf PLAM FIG. 2. containsonly a single chamber10 feetlong, 4 feetto 4 feet 6 incheswide, height 3 to 4 feet; the coveringstone at entrance is 2 feet 6 inches on the under-side, heightof entranceis 2 feet. The districtround Connor is honeycombedwith souterrains. Two in the churchyardwere measured years ago and reportedill an Ulster Archaeological Journal. In one day I visited and measured no less than four,Tanneybrack, Ballycown,Fort of Ross (Fig. 2) and Shankbridge(Fig. 3). This cave is a very perfectone and quiite dry. It has almost the smallest opening I have been through. The firstchamber is 15 feet long, 3 feet 9 inches high,second chamber 19 feet 6 inches long and 4 feet 6 inches high, the last doorwayis 17 by 17 inches,and proveda perfectfit; last chamber16 feet 6 inches long and about 3 feethigh. This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:17:23 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 222 MARY Ho1sON.-Some UlsterSouterrains. The one case of two dis- tinct stories,one partly over the other, is at Bog Head, Muckamore. This was acci- denitallydiscovered, and we have not yet found the originalentrance. The dinien- sions are: a sort of vestibule 5 feet 6 inches long; a low doorway 2 feet 7 inches by ID3 1 foot7 inches,chamber 7 feet by 4 feetand 5 feet high. A hole in.the floor2 feet 6 inches 2 2 inches admits to ,jE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 by feet the lower chamlber 19 feet 2 inches lono, 3 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 2 inches wide. Again another doorway,but now choked up. Both these floorshlave been dugover by the Rev. W. A. Adams of Antrim, A and have yielded potteryof FIG. 3. a very primitive descriptioni, nost likely domestic. In co. Antrimthere are certaindiversities in structurewhich are not comne across in Down. At Donegore the entranceis largeanrd looks like a naturalcave, but the interior has been scoopedout of the rock (basaltic aslh), and has anotherchamber on higher level: the entrance cave is 5 feet 4 inches high,8 feet Ctltoci- ot 3 inches long,the uipwardtunnel 20 feet lolng, entrance31 inches wide (Fig. 4). In the same district,at Ballymartin,is anotherof exactlythe same type,cut out of the / , f~ face of a cliffoverhanging the river,but this . , e 11did has a roofof large stones placed across in the usual way. This souterrainhas four chambers < ~~~~~~~~~r,O so rising,in heightthat at the end one is alimiost in a standingposition. The lengths are: first chamber8 feet,second chamber 17 feet,third 7 feet 6 inches, the doorway 5 feet, and the last chamber is 7 feet, total lengyth Lrbra~7nce +; 44 feet6 inches (Fig. 5). FIG, 4, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:17:23 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions MARY HOBSON.-SSome Ulster Souterrctins. 223 Others of smaller proportionsare, one at Liminarydiscovered in June, 1904, containing three perfectchambers, one 15 feet long and 5 feethigh. One near the " Altar in the Woods," Glendun, with one chamber only. One near II/ Tornamona Cashel, Cushlake, on the face of the cliffsoverhanging the sea, a quite perilous place to reach. At Tavenahoney in Glenan I found the VI only vent or shaftI have seen, thoughI know of another. I am not sure that it was 0 'Ill PI~AXN intended for ventilation,but rather incline 'I 8lep 4 'Pet h/eb /8 Lnches w'd e Q l, i a 1?- tr I r*t~ ~ FG 5. FIG. 5. m ~5i0" (7/'on abouk v it is a speaking rznt4ycuzt *- m I ,3'0" O/de e to the idea that c/ the,ocxA 31 tube to give warning to those inside; a boy spoke to me throuLgh it. It was closed on the outside by a rough stone like tliousands scatteredover the hillside. There are two shortchambers. t2ft?@q;e/^ lSbl'@def At Bushmills and Giant's Causeway I found two caves, X B o~cnd20 tn. hi7 one built of rocks in situ, and filled between artificially,with the only guard-chamnberI know of (threerocks forming a triangle); just withinthe entrancesome tuni- fntoa%ce o X oX 2 Peet SdQwdndco nellinghas been cleverly done in 2L%-6vz/.z b tL *he Idc Open ui the rock; at the Giant's Causeway C7OOUI78/d6/? near the P.O. tunnelliinghas also been done (Fig. 6). /0 20 0 The structuresin co. Down FIG. 6 while not showingthe diversities This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:17:23 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 224 MARY HOBSON.-SoMne UlsterSo&terrains. of Antrim,i.e., two stories, tunnelling,etc., are much longer. We will take a few of the moreimportant. At Ballygrainey(the town of the sunnypalace) near Craigavad Station and withina fewmiles of Belfast is a very fine one, 70 feet 6 inches in length,and containingfour chambers; the firstbeing 16 feet 6 inches long,5 feet3 inches wide and 5 feet 3 inches high; to the right of entrance a passage 19 feet long, 15 inichesand upwards in width, and the height of which varies from2 feet 20 inches, the low doorwayto chamber oIn the left (from entrancechamber) is .