This impressive Anglo-Norman earthwork, which appears on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map as a circular fortification, consists of a large, steep-sided mound with a flat top measuring roughly 11 metres northeast to southwest and 9 metres northwest to southeast. The motte is surrounded by an elaborate defensive system: a wide, flat-bottomed fosse (or ditch), followed by a substantial intervening bank made of earth and stone, then an outer fosse and finally an external bank. Today, a television mast occupies the level summit, its wire stays anchored to the edges of the ancient earthwork.

The site’s defences remain remarkably well preserved, particularly from the southwest round to the southeast, though they’re less distinct on the western approaches. The intervening bank between the two fosses stands out as a particularly substantial feature with steep sides, whilst a gap on the southern side has been closed off with what appears to be a relatively modern drystone wall. Interestingly, an estate map from 1776 depicts the site as a large, steep-sided mound enclosed by three banks, suggesting the fortification’s prominence in the landscape has long been recognised. The monument has been incorporated into the surrounding field boundaries, and aerial photography shows it as a roughly circular, tree-covered earthwork.

The strategic placement of Rathconrath becomes clear when considering its neighbours; the site of another castle lies just 80 metres to the east, whilst a church and graveyard can be found 180 metres to the south. Unlike many motte castles, there’s no evidence of an associated bailey at Rathconrath, suggesting this was a standalone defensive mound rather than part of a larger fortified complex. The absence of a bailey is unusual for Anglo-Norman mottes, which typically featured an enclosed courtyard at the base of the mound for additional buildings and defensive purposes.