Milestone 13 Mile, Near 214 Crom Road, Newtownbutler, BT92 8BE

This is the 13-mile milestone near 214 Crom Road, Newtownbutler, one of a surviving collection of 12 milestones (from an original set of 17) erected between approximately 1810 and 1835 along the former mail coach road running from Enniskillen through Cavan to Dublin. The milestones marked intervals of one Irish mile from Enniskillen to the border of County Fermanagh. This particular stone stands at thirteen Irish miles from Enniskillen, along the lower section of the purpose-built coach road now known as Crom Road.

The milestone is carved from local limestone and is square in plan, rising just over one metre in height. It tapers gently upward to form an elongated prism. While the front and rear faces are flush, the side elevations are more distinctively profiled: they step outward at a low level to define a base, and overhang at the top with a roll that tapers upward to a crown profile, creating an ornate terminal form. This profiled top appears to be unique to this series of milestones. The slightly uneven, individual character of the stones across the series suggests the work of local craftsmen working in a vernacular tradition. This stone clearly displays the distances of 67.5 miles to Dublin and 12.5 miles to Cavan, in addition to the distance from Enniskillen.

The road on which the milestones stand, between Enniskillen and Wattlebridge, was largely constructed between 1808 and 1822 specifically to provide a broad, flat road suitable for mail coaches. The mail coach service used this road, with some re-routing, until 1859, when the coming of the railways brought the coach era to an end. The milestones are among the few surviving physical components of the late 18th and early 19th century mail coach system — arguably the single most important communications network established throughout these islands before the railway age.

This stone is of particular significance within the group because it remains in its original location and retains its original form, material, and lettering. Two other stones in the series of 12 have been relocated, and one was already separately listed at the time of this designation. The group's value is further enhanced by the survival along the same stretch of road of a contemporary coaching inn. Together, the 12 milestones constitute one of the most complete series of its kind in Northern Ireland, and their survival in relatively large numbers along a single stretch of former mail coach road makes them a rare and important record of 19th century road improvement and coach travel in County Fermanagh.