King's Stables

For the feature on Hadrian's Wall, see Milecastle 48.

The King's Stables is an archaeological site in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The earthwork known as the King's Stables is a Scheduled Historic Monument in the townland of Tray, in Armagh City and District Council area, at grid ref: H8388 4546. ^[1]

Features

The site consists of a boggy hollow, originally an artificial, flat-bottomed pool about 25 metres (80 ft) in diameter, partly surrounded by an earthen bank, about 300 metres (1,000 ft) north-east of Haughey's Fort. It dates to the late Bronze Age, ca. 1000 BC, contemporary with Haughey's Fort. Excavations in 1975 discovered clay moulds for bronze leaf-shaped swords, pottery, and items of worked bone and wood. Also found were 214 animal bones and a human skull.

Name

The name is probably related to a local tradition that the ancient kings of Ulster watered their horses and washed their chariots in the pool.^{[ citation needed ]} The same name has been given to Milecastle 48 on Hadrian's Wall; in this case, the layout of the walls is reminiscent of stables.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• List of archaeological sites in County Armagh

References

1. "King's Stables" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - Scheduled Historic Monuments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2007.

• Chris Lynn, Navan Fort: Archaeology and Myth, Wordwell Books, 2003
• R. B. Warner, "The Navan Archaeological Complex: a Summary", Ulidia, December Publications, 1994