Both the Sites and Monuments Record from 1987 and the Record of Monuments and Places from 1995 list a megalithic tomb in this area, but when archaeologists went looking for it, all they found was a heap of stones; most likely just field clearance rather than any ancient monument.

The confusion appears to stem from 19th-century accounts of a ‘druidical cromlech’ that once stood in Castleforward deerpark. According to descriptions from M’Parlan in 1802 and subsequent writers, this structure consisted of a roofstone about five feet across, marked with what might have been cupmarks, sitting atop low upright stones roughly 18 inches high. Around 1830, someone recovered an urn from the site, suggesting it had some burial significance. By the time antiquarian Kinahan visited in the 1870s and 80s, the monument had been largely demolished, with only part of the roofstone lying on the ground.

Based on these historical descriptions, archaeologists now suspect the structure was more likely a cist grave rather than a megalithic tomb; a subtle but important distinction in archaeological terms. The exact location remains uncertain too. While it definitely stood within Castleforward deerpark, this would actually place it in one of two neighbouring townlands, either Deer Park West or Bohullion Lower, rather than in Castleforward Demesne proper. It’s a reminder of how much archaeological heritage can slip through the cracks of history, leaving us with tantalising descriptions of monuments that have since vanished from the landscape.