Divelling Place.t of Prehistoric Man 53 



ancient district of Ballygowan (the Place of the vSmiths), seems 

 evident from the study of the locaHty on the spot, in conjunction 

 with the Ordnance Map. The stream of a branch of the Larnt 

 water appears to be the natural eastern boundary of the old Bally- 

 gowan. It is now the boundary of the mediaeval Ballyrickard- 

 more, evidently once part of Ballygowan. The similarity of 

 Ballyrickardmore rath with that of Ballykennedy, built as they 

 both are on refuse heaps of old foundries, seems strongly to sup- 

 port this suggestion, which I put forward with all reserve. 



As to the age of souterrains and forts, I fear that my investi- 

 gations so far have not enabled us to come to any positive con- 

 clusion as to the actual dates, but I think it certain very strong 

 inference may be drawn from the results arrived at in our pretty 

 extensive investigations. One of these is that souterrains were, at. 

 a rather undefined period in certain localities, the ordinary dwelling 

 places of the common population. Another is that the majority of 

 raths are of much more modern date. The latter conclusion will, I 

 know, be disputed, chiefly owing to the fact that a great many 

 souterrains are found actually within the forts. I have examined 

 countless examplesof raths and moats in all parts of Antrim and 

 Down. One class of these I think may clearly be separated from 

 the others ; I refer to those of which typical examples are Dun- 

 donald, Donegore, Dromore Mount, the (Ireen Mound near 

 Glenavy, Harryville and Dunfane near Ballymena, Castlerobin, 

 Dunmurry, and many others, mostly of the very high flat topped 

 class, with or without surrounding trenches. I have never yet met 

 with a souterrain actually in this type of fort or dun. Mr. Goddert 

 Orpen, in his " Ireland under the Normans," pretty clearly proves 

 that these are of Norman origin, and date from 1172 to possibly 

 near 1300. He is careful, however, to say that some mounds of 

 this type may not be primitive Norman castles, but burial mounds 

 of unknown age. I am inclined to think that Donegore moat may 

 be of the latter class, as we sank a trench of some depth partly 

 through the mound and cut through a number of pockets of 

 human and other bones, apparently burned tn st'/u, without any 

 sign of urns. iJonegore has not and never had an encircling foss, or 



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