First recorded during archaeological fieldwalking in 1983, this defensive structure appears as a distinctive hachured rectangle on the first edition Ordnance Survey six-inch map, suggesting it was still a prominent landscape feature in the 19th century.

The site consists of an eroded platform surrounded by what would have been a water-filled moat, a typical defensive arrangement for medieval settlements in Ireland. These moated sites, dating primarily from the 13th and 14th centuries, were often built by Anglo-Norman settlers as fortified farmsteads or minor manor houses. The earthen banks thrown up during the moat’s construction have yielded an unexpected bonus for archaeologists; worked flints discovered there indicate human activity at this location stretching back much further, possibly to the Neolithic or Bronze Age.

Today, while the site may appear as little more than raised ground and shallow depressions to the casual observer, it represents layers of Irish history spanning thousands of years. From prehistoric tool-makers to medieval settlers seeking protection behind water defences, this unassuming field in County Wicklow has witnessed successive waves of human occupation, each leaving their mark on the landscape.