Knockoneill Court Tomb

Map Reference: C819087 (2819, 4087)

Knockoneill Court Tomb has a two-chambered gallery about 5.5m long by 1.5m wide. There is a small antechamber formed by doubling the entrance jambs. Such an antechamber is not common. A very fine example may be seen at Ballymacdermott, Co Armagh. The court stones are up to 1.5m high and the court is about 7m deep and 7m wide. There is a great deal of cairn material and a well-defined kerb.



The backstone of the inner chamber is also the sidestone of a subsidiary chamber. This chamber is about 1.5m by 1m and is entered from the side of the cairn by a curving passage about 3m long. Subsidiary burial chambers are found in many court tombs. Excavations have shown that they are usually contemporary with the main tomb and it not known why they were constructed. Good examples may be seen at Annaghmare, Co Armagh and Creevykeel, Co Sligo. Some court tombs have a subsidiary tombs within the court. There are good examples at Croghbeg and Malin More, Co Donegal and Clonlum, Co Armagh.



There is a low sillstone at the rear of the antechamber and a lintel stone in place between the two chambers of the gallery.



Excavation of the site showed that the Neolithic monument had been covered by a Bronze Age cairn. This was removed before presentation of the site.