BESSBROOK Heritage Profile

By Daniel Kirkpatrick | Compiled 2026-05-05 | N08001007

12 historic sites 2 scheduled monuments 191 listed buildings 4 archaeological periods

BESSBROOK covers 11.4 km² in Northern Ireland. With 12 historic sites and 2 scheduled monuments on record, the ward sits at the 93rd percentile across all 462 NI wards for combined archaeological heritage. It also records 191 listed buildings (HED Historic Buildings Record), the 99th percentile for listed-building density across NI wards. Per 1,000 residents, this works out at 37.1 recorded sites — the 82nd percentile across NI wards (a measure of heritage density relative to current population). Dated archaeological evidence runs from the Mesolithic through to the Post-Medieval period, spanning 4 archaeological periods, around the NI median for chronological depth.

BESSBROOK boundary detail

BESSBROOK in regional context

Heritage at a glance

Percentile rankings throughout this profile compare each ward only against the other 461 Northern Ireland wards.

Historic sites

49th percentile

Scheduled monuments

53rd percentile

191

Listed buildings

99th percentile

18.03

Sites per km²

Population context

486

Persons per km²

65th percentile

37.1

Sites per 1,000 residents

82nd percentile

5,526

Total residents (2021)

The recorded heritage of BESSBROOK

Of the 12 historic sites recorded, the most common are A.P. Site (5, 42% of historic sites), Rath (2), and Rath: Derrymore Fort (1). For A.P. Sites, this is the 56th percentile among NI wards that record this type. For Raths, this is the 14th percentile across NI wards that record this type. Across the ward's 11.4 km², this gives a recorded density of 17.98 sites per km² (all heritage types combined). Note: 42% of historic site records carry an 'Unknown' period attribution and cannot be placed chronologically; the chronological breakdown reported below reflects only the dated subset.

Most common monument types

Type	Count	Description
A.p. Site	5	—
Rath	2	—
Rath: Derrymore Fort	1	—

Chronological distribution

Mesolithic

Iron Age

Early Medieval

Post Medieval

Unknown

Note: 42% of historic site records carry an ‘Unknown’ period attribution. The chronological breakdown above reflects only the dated subset.

Terrain and environment

Mean elevation of 82m sits around the NI median (63th percentile), with a maximum of 241m giving the ward meaningful vertical relief. The terrain is consistently steep, with a mean slope of 5.8° (87th percentile across NI). The ward is well-drained, with a Topographic Wetness Index of 9.6 (11th NI percentile) — characteristic of upland or steeply-sloping ground that sheds water rapidly. The land-cover mosaic combines improved grassland (50%), woodland (26%), and urban land (23%), giving a mixed agricultural and semi-natural landscape. In overall character, this is steeply-sloping terrain at modest elevation, with land use dominated by improved grassland.

Terrain measurements

Mean elevation82 m 63rd pct

Max elevation241.5 m 78th pct

Mean slope5.8° 87th pct

Wetness index (TWI)9.64 11th pct

Grassland50.0% 46th pct

Woodland26.3% 73rd pct

Urban land22.8% 60th pct

Where this ward sits in NI

Elevation

63rd

Slope

87th

Drainage

11th

Grassland

46th

Woodland

73rd

Geology and preservation

The dominant bedrock formed during the Palaeozoic era (Silurian period). Ancient sedimentary or metamorphic rock dating to before the age of dinosaurs; the resulting landscape has been long-stable enough to host every period of human activity. Bedrock composition is uniform (complexity index 0.00), with a single dominant geological unit underlying most of the ward. A uniform geology narrows the natural lithic-resource base available to past inhabitants.

Bedrock eraPalaeozoic

Bedrock periodSilurian

Surface depositsTill

Peat coverage0.0%

Bedrock complexity0.00

Placename evidence

The placename record for this ward is small — 6 names in total — but it does include 2 ecclesiastical placenames. With this few records, the count should be treated as indicative rather than a firm characterisation.

Placename categories

Ecclesiastical (kil-, temple-, monaster-)2 names

Scheduled monuments in BESSBROOK

Scheduled monuments are sites legally protected under the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, designated by the Historic Environment Division (HED).

Monument	Type	Period
RATH	Rath	Early Medieval
STANDING STONE	Standing Stone	Early Bronze Age

Recorded historic sites

Name	Period	Type
A.P. SITE	Unknown	Unknown
A.P. SITE	Unknown	Unknown
A.P. SITE	Unknown	Unknown
A.P. SITE	Unknown	Unknown
A.P. SITE	Unknown	Unknown
ENCLOSURE	Iron Age	Unknown
ENCLOSURE: FORTH FIELD (unlocated)	Iron Age	Defence
Historic Settlement Bessbrook	Post-Medieval	Domestic
RATH	Early Medieval	Defence
RATH	Early Medieval	Defence
RATH: DERRYMORE FORT	Early Medieval	Defence
STANDING STONE	Mesolithic	Ritual/Funerary

Listed buildings in BESSBROOK

Address / Name	Grade	Period
2 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
1 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
2 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
3 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
4 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
5 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
6 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
7 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
8 CHARLEMONT SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
1 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
3 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
4 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
5 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
6 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
7 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
8 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
9 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
10 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
11 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
12 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
13 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
14 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
15 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
16 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
17 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
18 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
19 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
20 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
21 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
22 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
24 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
26 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
27 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
30 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
9 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
13 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
15 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
16 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
17 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
1 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B1	1860 – 1879
2 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
3 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
4 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
5 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
6 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
7 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
8 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
10 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
11 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
12 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
14 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
18 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
19 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
20 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
21 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
22 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
23 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
24 Charlemont Square West Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AF	B2	1860 – 1879
THE GARAGE, 8 CHURCH ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B+	1860 – 1879
1 MAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
SPAR SUPERMARKET PROSPECT PLACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B+	1820 – 1839
5 FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
6 FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
THE INSTITUTE (TOWN HALL) COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	A	1880 – 1899
1 LAKEVIEW BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
2 LAKEVIEW BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
3 LAKEVIEW BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
4 LAKEVIEW BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1860 – 1879
1 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
2 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
3 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
4 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
5 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
6 WAKEFIELD TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
1-28 THOMAS ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	Record Only	—
1 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
2 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
3 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
4 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
5 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
6 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
7 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
8 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
9 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
10 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
11 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
12 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
13 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
14 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
15 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
16 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
17 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
18 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
19 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
20 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
21 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
22 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
23 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
1 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
2 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
3 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
4 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
5 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
6 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
7 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
8 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
9 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
10 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
11 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
12 COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
1 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.DOWN	B2	—
2 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
3 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
4 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
5 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
6 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
7 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
8 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	—
9 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
10 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
11 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
12 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
13 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
14 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
15 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
16 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
17 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
18 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
OLD SCHOOL COLLEGE SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B+	1840 – 1859
ARCHWAY FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	—
1 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
2 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
3 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
4 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
5 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST. BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
6 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST; BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1880 – 1899
7 MAYTOWN TERRACE FOUNTAIN ST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1920 – 1939
FORMER SCHOOL MASTER'S HOUSE 23 CHAPEL ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1900 – 1919
CHRIST CHURCH CHURCH ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	A	1860 – 1879
MOUNT CAULFIELD HOUSE GREEN ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	—
Telephone Kiosk Fountain Street Bessbrook Co Armagh	Record Only	1940 – 1959
Bessbrook Mill Derrymore Road Bessbrook	B1	1840 – 1859
Former Tram Station Bessbrook Newry	B2	1880 – 1899
EGYPTIAN ARCH OVER CAMLOUGH ROAD DERRYBEG BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B+	—
WOODVIEW 1 MILL ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B	—
LODGE AND GATES TO WOODHOUSE 9 DERRYMORE ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B	—
1 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
2 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
3 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
4 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
5 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
6 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B+	1880 – 1899
7 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
8 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
9 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
10 DERAMORE (DERRYMORE) TERRACE BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B1	1880 – 1899
Derrymore Hortus Lodge 45 Derrymore Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7DN	B2	1880 – 1899
Derrymore House Bessbrook Newry Co. Down BT35 7EF	A	1760 – 1779
WOODHOUSE 11 DERRYMORE ROAD BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B	—
23 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
25 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
28 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
29 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
31 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
32 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
25 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSSROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
26 CHARLEMONT SQUARE WEST BESSBROOK CO.ARMAGH	B2	1860 – 1879
Rose Cottage 47 Derrymore Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7DN	B1	1880 – 1899
War Memorial Charlemont Square Bessbrook Co. Armagh	B1	1920 – 1939
Griffith's Shop 5 Church Road Bessbrook Co.Armagh BT35 7AQ	B1	1880 – 1899
Church of SS Peter and Paul Chapel Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh	B2	1860 – 1879
Abbey View Church Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AQ	D1 Record Only	—
West Lodge and West Cottage Church Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AQ	D1 Record Only	—
Tirsah Church Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AQ	D1 Record Only	—
2 Maytown Road Bessbrook Newry Co. Armagh BT35 7LY	Record Only	1860 – 1879
Electricity Memorial Charlemont Square Bessbrook Co. Armagh	D1 Record Only	—
Monuments in College Square Bessbrook Co. Armagh	D1 Record Only	—
53 – 67 Fountain Street Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7DF	D1 Record Only	—
Pavilion College Square Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7DG	D1 Record Only	—
RUC Station Church Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AQ	D1 Record Only	—
Dromene and Knockdonagh 19 Chapel Road Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7AU	D1 Record Only	—
Cottage 9, Camlough Road Derrybeg, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh BT35 7EF	D1 Record Only	—
House 3 'Arch View', Camlough Road, Derrymore, Co. Armagh BT35 7EF	D1 Record Only	—
Cottage 8, 2 Derrybeg Cottages, Derrymore, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh BT35 7LR	D1 Record Only	—
Derrymore foundry Derrymore Road Derrymore Bessbrook Newry Co Armagh	Record Only	1800 – 1819
Millvale Road Newry BT35 7LP	Record Only	1840 – 1859
Slaughter House SE of 35 Main Street Bessbrook Co.Armagh BT35 7DJ	B2	1860 – 1879
The Farm Yard Fountain Street Bessbrook Co. Armagh BT35 7DF	Record Only	—
Lodge Friends Meeting House 15 Derrymore Road Bessbrook BT35 7DN	Record Only	—
Farm buildings at Derrymore House Derrymore Co. Armagh BT35 7EF	B2	1800 – 1819
Friends Meeting House 17 Derrymore Road Bessbrook Co. Down BT35 7DN	B1	1860 – 1879

Discover more in Newry, Mourne and Down

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About this profile

What is a ward?

A ward is the smallest electoral and statistical geography used by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The boundaries used here are the 2014 NISRA / OSNI Wards (462 across Northern Ireland), each typically covering 1-700 km² and a population of a few thousand. Wards do not align with parishes, townlands, or any historic administrative unit — they are a modern statistical convenience, used here only as a fixed spatial frame within which to summarise heritage records.

What counts as a site?

Three distinct heritage record types are reported separately, not combined: (1) Historic Sites — entries in the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record (NISMR), the inventory of recorded archaeological sites and findspots, dated from prehistoric to early-modern; (2) Scheduled Monuments — sites legally protected under the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995 and maintained by the Historic Environment Division (HED); (3) Listed Buildings — buildings of architectural or historic interest protected under the Planning Act (NI) 2011 and graded A, B+, B1, B2, or Record-Only by HED. A site appearing in more than one register is counted in each register independently.

Editorial principles

These ward profiles describe evidence, not history. They report what is recorded, not what occurred. Where the data is ambiguous, we say so. We do not infer historical processes — population movements, settlement expansion, periods of decline — from patterns in the record. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence: in Northern Ireland, where antiquarian survey was uneven and modern excavation is geographically biased, a gap in the record almost always reflects the limits of recording rather than a genuine historical absence. We mark such gaps explicitly where they appear in the data.

Limits of coverage and known caveats

Several caveats apply to every ward profile: (1) NISMR coverage is uneven across NI — some areas (notably parts of the south-east and the Belfast urban fringe) have been more intensively surveyed than others, so a low recorded site count does not reliably indicate a low past density of activity; (2) period attributions in NISMR are often 'Unknown', and chronological breakdowns reported here reflect only the dated subset; (3) placename classification depends on the Irish-language form (name_ga), which is recorded for approximately 50% of NI placenames in the combined sources, so ecclesiastical and pre-Christian counts may be understated where anglicised forms remain unparsed; (4) terrain percentile ranks compare each ward only to the other 461 NI wards; they are not absolute thresholds. For absence-dominant land cover categories (wetland, water, cropland), percentile ranks are suppressed below 1% raw value, since the ranking of zero-value wards is not meaningful.

Data sources (11)

Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record (NISMR)
Historic sites — counts, types, periods, coordinates

Historic Environment Division (HED), Department for Communities · Licence: Crown copyright; data published for public viewing
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/nismr-public-mapviewer
HED Scheduled Monuments Dataset
Scheduled Monument records — names, types, scheduled areas, periods

Historic Environment Division (HED), Department for Communities · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
https://www.opendatani.gov.uk/@historic-environment-division/scheduled-monuments-northern-ireland
HED Historic Buildings Record
Listed buildings — addresses, grades, dates of construction

Historic Environment Division (HED), Department for Communities · Licence: Crown copyright; record published for public viewing
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/historic-environment/listed-buildings
OSNI OS Open Names (Northern Ireland)
Placenames — settlement and topographic feature names

Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
https://www.opendatani.gov.uk/@ordnance-survey-of-northern-ireland/osni-open-data—50k-gazetteer
Logainm — Placenames Database of Ireland
Placenames — Irish-language (name_ga) forms, including NI townlands

Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, Dublin City University · Licence: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://www.logainm.ie/
GeoNames
Placenames — supplementary settlement and feature names

GeoNames · Licence: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://www.geonames.org/
Census 2021 (Northern Ireland)
Population — total residents, households, average household size

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/2021-census
OSNI Open Data — Largescale Boundaries
Ward and Local Government District boundaries

Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
https://www.opendatani.gov.uk/@ordnance-survey-of-northern-ireland/osni-open-data-largescale-boundaries-wards-2012
Copernicus GLO-30 DEM
Terrain — elevation, slope, derived TWI

European Space Agency / Copernicus · Licence: Free and open access (Copernicus DEM data licence)
https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/collections/copernicus-digital-elevation-model
ESA WorldCover
Land cover — grassland, woodland, cropland, wetland, urban categories

European Space Agency · Licence: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://esa-worldcover.org/
GSNI 1:250,000 Geology
Bedrock geology, superficial deposits

Geological Survey of Northern Ireland · Licence: Crown copyright; open access for public viewing
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geological-data/maps/

Spotted an error? This dataset is updated continuously. Email contact@danielkirkpatrick.co.uk with corrections, missing records, or suggestions for improvement.