Hanstown

37 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Hanstown, from 18 m² to 225,224 m² (22.52 ha, 55.65 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 17 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Hanstown in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

No planning application touches the townland of Hanstown in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Hanstown.

Recorded monuments

• WM025-025 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a low rise, in undulating pasture, with extensive views to SE and S. Monument described in 1971 as a roughly circular-shaped area (dims. 33m E-W; 27m N-S) enclosed by a bank and a fosse. The bank (ext. H approx. 2m) is visible from SE-S-W-N-NE and is high on the exterior and is almost reduced to a scarp with several small disturbance gaps. The bank has the remains of external stone facing of very small stones from SW-S-SSE, however this may be a later feature. A slight fosse is visible from SE-S-W. Later field banks contact the scarp at S, W, N and ESE. The original entrance is not recognisable. The interior dips slightly to the perimeter on the N and S sides and has slight traces of cultivation ridges running N-S. Approximately 2.75m from the base of the scarp of ringfort, at E is a rectangular-shaped house defined by low grass-covered banks. The interior is divided into two chambers. This house site would appear to have been built after the fosse had filled up at this point. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 1 September 2019

• WM025-026 Barrow - unclassified
  Description

  Situated on top of a hillock, in gently undulating pasture, with extensive views to S, E and NE. Monument described as a small oval-shaped area (dims. 60m N-S; 57m E-W) enclosed by a bank (ext. H 1.2m) and external fosse visible from S-SW-W and at NE. No clear entrance feature visible. The bank has almost been reduced to a scarp, primarily due to ploughing. The ground across the bank, fosse and interior has traces of cultivation ridges running NNW-SSE which appear to have denuded the enclosing elements and interior to their present low profile state. The ground within the interior rises towards the centre where there is a wide, flat platform which is defined by a low bank which is best preserved at N, NE, SW and W. A tree-lined field boundary surrounds the base of the hillock and is not concentric with the bank or fosse. It is flanked on the exterior by a modern drain from S-W. There is a modern quarry hole at the base of the enclosing field boundary at E. Later field banks intersect the enclosing boundary at N and SW. A Preservation Order was placed on this monument on 17/08/1990 (SMR file). The classification of this monument is uncertain with the possibility that the low mound or platform in the centre is the remains of a burial mound rather than a house platform. The profile of the monument and the possibility of the presence of a ditch around the central mound may suggest that this is the remains of a barrow rather than a ringfort with central house platform. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 05 September 2019

• WM025-064 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated atop low natural gravel hillock in area of reclaimed undulating grassland with good views in all directions. Slight rise of ground or low hillock marks site of levelled earthwork which may have been the site of a small ringfort. Monument was levelled in 1964 during reclamation of the field in which the monument was situated . The monument was inspected in 1964 prior to its levelling when it was described as following: ‘Small esker, slightly scarped round the foot to give it a clean edge. Not so far as I can see of archaeological interest. A patch of dry ground in an otherwise boggy field it was probably used for hay’ (SMR File). Recorded in 1971 as a monument that had been completely levelled and described a following: ‘The site is a small oval fairly steep egg-shaped natural rise (dims. 19.8m WNW-ESE; 29m NNE-SSW). The present surface of the site is disturbed gravelly earth. The site could have been a small rath. Sited on relatively lowlying land which was probably wet until the present drains were recently made. The land around the site has been recently reclaimed’ (SMR File 1971). On the Ordnance Survey fair plan map the monument is depicted as a small circular earthwork and marked as a fort (SMR File). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 23 May 2014

• WM025-065 Concentric enclosure
  Description

  Situated atop low rise of ground with good views in all directions. A slight rise of ground marks the site of a levelled ringfort in a field which appears to have been recently reclaimed. This monument was inspected in 1971 and described as following: ‘About half of the rath has been demolished at present, it consists of the remains of two widely spaced earthen banks (gap Wth 15m; overall diam. 60m E-W; 45m) which formed presumably circles or approximate circles originally. The inner bank curves from WNW-ENE. There is no definite trace of a fosse connected with it. The outer bank extends from WNW-N-E-ESE. It has slight suggestions of a fosse. The inner bank is more substantial than the outer bank. A later NW-SE bank crosses the site from the points on the WNW and ESE on the outer bank. On the ESE a slighter bank cum scarp springs away from the end of the outer bank. Another scarp and fosse swing away from the outer bank on the WNW. There are banks and fosses in the field and also in the field to the SE of the monument. The original entrance to the rath is not recognisable. In the inner enclosure (diam. 35m E-W; 20m N-S) on the ESE an irregular bank forms part of a small elongated enclosure which is partly covered by the NW-SE bank. This is probably a hut site. In the inner enclosure and to the NNE of the later NW-SE bank there are four small low circular flat-topped mounds of unknown significance. They appear to be too small to be house sites and are probably later features as one of them partly overlies the inner bank on the NNW’ (SMR File 1971). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 23 May 2014

• WM025-066 Earthwork
  Description

  Situated on a steep-sided natural hillock, on reclaimed undulating grassland with good views in all directions. Stream located 60m to S. Possible ringfort (WM025-064----) located 235m to N; concentric enclosure (WM025-065----) 345m to NE and large ringfort (WM025-063----) 460m to W. The sides of the base and top of the natural hillock have been scarped to form an oval-shaped flat-topped mound or platform (diam. 26m E-W; 16m N-S) defined by a scarp with no evidence of an enclosing bank defining the edge of the scarped hillock. At the base of the hillock are the remains of a berm which runs around the base of the hillock giving the mound a stepped profile. No entrance feature visible. The classification of this monument is problematical. It was classified as a ringfort in 1971 (SMR File) but the lack of an enclosing feature and no visible sign of an entrance gap along with its mound like appearance would argue against such a classification. The earthwork has the appearance of a burial mound and the berm running around the base of the hillock is similar to a stepped-barrow. Its location on wet reclaimed grassland utilising a natural hillock would support this burial mound classification. Alternatively the mound could be the remains of a type of ringfort often described as a raised rath or could be the remains of a low Anglo-Norman motte castle. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 26 May 2014

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

No address of the register names Hanstown with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Hanstown

Area

1,467,627 m² (146.76 ha, 362.66 acres)

Civil parish

Mullingar, and its townlands

Barony

Moyashel And Magheradernon

Electoral division

Greenpark, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Dysart, Habsborough, Keoltown, Stokestown

Placenames

Hanstown on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.