Tag: cupules

Hangingstones Quarry (1), Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 12681 46748

Also Known as:

  1. Carving no.120 (Hedges)
  2. Carving 278 (Boughey & Vickerman)

Getting Here

Hangingstone Quarry (1)

From the Cow & Calf car-park, walk towards and past the gigantic Calf rock, swerving round the fallen mass of rocks and into the trees at the back.  Walk uphill to the Hanging Stones cup and ring stones, then keep heading—down the slope then back up the next one—west, for barely 100 yards until you’re on the level ground again, following the footpath alongside the heather.  Barely 50 yards along, keep your eyes peeled in the heather for a low flat rock just a few yards in.  Forage around and you’ll find it.

Archaeology & History

You’ll no doubt be seeing this carving after you’ve visited the impressive Hanging Stones petroglyphs 150 yards to the east.  And you’ll probably be disappointed in its lack of visual grandeur when compared to its more ornate eastern neighbour.  But the petroglyph fans among you should give it your attention.

Hedges 1986 sketch
Looking to the SE

When the dawn or evening daylight cuts across the rock, the design looks much better than at sun high, perhaps telling us that the message of the stone coincided with those periods of the day.  The gentle folds of the stone itself morph into the carving: evening and morning light cutting subtle shadowy folds across the rock, giving it an organic texture that our aboriginal ancestors told to be a vital essence of stone itself.  The two small clusters of cup-marks upon this stone become greater than their basic design when brushed with the shadows and glows of a sunset.  And when our aboriginal peoples painted them in ochre and other colours, an even greater mythos emerged—but sadly it is forgotten here….

When looked at with the simplistic eyes of the archaeo-mind, this and its compatriots are little more than a number of marks on lifeless rocks.  This stone for example was described in John Hedges’ (1986) survey as being just “two groups of four and five cups and grooves”—nothing more—with naught but an echo in Boughey & Vickerman’s (2003) later work.  The carving has neighbours even more basic in the heather close by…

References:

  1. Boughey, Keith & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, WYAS: Wakefield 2003.
  2. Hedges, John (ed.), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, WYMCC: Wakefield 1986.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (4), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SG 21609 42273

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean ‘Stone L’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

Kinihan’s sketch of Ballykean (4)

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  It was described in George Kinihan’s (1884) survey as a “flat irregular stone, sloping slightly towards the east: the cups are seven in number”, in a design similar to that of the constellation of Cassiopeia.  When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the carving in 1990 it could not be located.  Corlett (2014) suggests that a collection of rocks in a hollow to the north may conceal this and some of the other carvings in this cluster.

References:

  1. Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
  2. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (3), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SG 21584 42271

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean ‘Stone K’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  It was described in George Kinihan’s (1884) survey as being, “a small peaked stone, having on the western side two small cups.”  The carving has not been seen since then and he seems to have made no sketches of the stone.  When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the carving in 1990 it could not be located.

References:

  1. Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
  2. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (8), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SG 21537 42375

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean ‘Stone F’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

Kinihan’s 1884 rubbing of the stone

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  It was described in George Kinihan’s (1884) survey as being, “a slightly dome-shaped stone, its surface being nearly level with that of the ground.  The cups are both numerous and deep…although bits of the surface have been flaked off by fire.”  He took a rubbing of the stone which showed nineteen cup-marks on its upper surface.  When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the carving in 1990 it could not be located; and when Christiaan Corlett (2014) described this and the other carvings in this cluster, he thought that a group of stones dumped “in a hollow area north of the field” might possibly be where it had been moved to—although no such carvings have been identified there.

References:

  1. Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
  2. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (14), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SG 21640 43035

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean Stone A (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

Kinihan’s rubbing of the stone

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  First noticed by a Mr Hugh Jones of Ballykean House, it was the northernmost carving in the cluster.  When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the carving in 1990 it could not be located—although they did note a stone of similar size in the field boundary to the north-east, but could find no cup-marks on it.

Ballykean (14 ) stone

When George Kinihan (1884) described the stone, he told it to be a block of granite, “about 5 feet by 5.3 feet, and standing 3.3 feet high” in a field known as the Fort Field (although there are no remains of a fort here).  Kinihan took a rubbing of the carving, which highlighted eleven cup-marks on its upper surface, as illustrated here.  More recently, in Corlett’s (2014) rock art survey, he told that there were “several large dumps of granite boulders” north of the field and wondered whether these might be where this, and the other stones, had been moved.  Does anyone know…?

References:

  1. Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
  2. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (2), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SG 21584 42230

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean ‘Stone M’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

Ballykean (2) or “Stone M”

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for this carving in 1990, it could not be located.  It was first described by George Kinihan (1884), who told that it was, a “block about 6 by 5.5 feet, and 2.25 feet high.  The upper surface has eight cups, two of which are joined by a channel.”  The site was included in Corlett’s (2014) fine survey, who could add no additional data about the stone.

References:

  1. Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
  2. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballykean (Penrose) (1), County Wicklow

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SG 21648 42072

Also Known as:

  1. Ballykean ‘Stone N’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century.  The carving was, wrote Kinahan (1884) in his day, “in the field south of Ballykean House.” But when the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the stone in 1990, it could not be located.  Kinihan told that it was,

“a large flattish stone, which slopes SW.  On the SW surface near the top margin is one cup.  In the vicinity of this block there are others, but on none of them were cups remarked.  Most of these have been split, while others are said to have been broken up to build Ballykean House, with the farm buildings and walls.”

References:

  1. Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Druim na Cille, Comrie, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 73838 24299

Getting Here

Cupmarks at Druim na Kill

Along the A85 road between Comrie and St Fillans, just over a mile out of Comrie, on the right-hand side (north) of the road is the small farm-track into the fields where the ruined stone circle of Tullybannocher lives.  Walk up this track (known as Maam Road), past the stones, and keep going uphill for more than a mile (literally 1 mile up, another track turns sheer right, but ignore it) where the track eventually levels-out; keep walking for another 600 yards, slightly downhill, until you reach a distinct fork in the track where you need to veer right, uphill, and keep walking up the track for ⅔-mile (1km) where you’ll eventually see a cottage ahead of you.  150 yards before this, to your left, down the slight slope and just as it begins to slope back up again on the other side, there’s some olde walling with a coupla big stones in it.  It’s there!

Archaeology & History

When James MacIntosh (1888) first visited this carving in the 19th century—which is close to the curious cairn of Druim na Cille just 75 yards to the west—he described there being a group of seven large stones forming, what he thought, might have been a large enclosure.  I think he was right.  Several of these stones can still be seen: each of them along some ancient walling that swerves in an arc to the east. One of these stones has a number of cup-marks on it.

Fred Coles’ 1991 sketch
The carving, from the track

The design isn’t too impressive when compared to others in this neck o’ the woods, but they’re very distinct.  We visited the place on a truly dark grey day: conditions that don’t usually allow for good visibility regarding cup-marks; but thankfully the cups along this stone are quite deep and hard to miss.  Running along one section of the stone are what Gow called, “eleven beautifully formed cups, varying from 2¼ to 4 inches in diameter and from half an inch to an inch in depth.”  When Fred Coles (1911) came here he counted thirteen cup-marks.  There may be fourteen.

The stone does possess some more recent groove marks made by a metal instrument, possibly a tractor or perhaps when local workmen stuck up a microwave tower close by.  Thankfully it hasn’t directly affected the cups on the stone.  Check it out when you visit the nearby ring cairn.

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire, Principally Strathearn,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 45, 1911.
  2. Gow, James M., “Notes near St Fillans: Cup-Marked Stones, Old Burying Ground at Kindrochet and Drumnakill”,  Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 22, 1888.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Chestnut Cottage, Tugby, Leicestershire

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Cup-Marked Stone (missing):  OS Grid Reference – SK 7618 0095

Archaeology & History

P.M.Vine’s 1982 sketch

In this neck o’ the woods, cup-marked stones are very rare.  This one was described in Phil Vine’s (1982) regional archaeology survey as consisting of eight cup-marks on a piece of stone three-feet across.  The carving, he told, could be found outside of a “former blacksmith’s shop, immediately south of Chestnut Cottage”, but was removed some time ago and is now in “private possession.”  Very little else seems to be known about it and there are no other prehistoric sites in close attendance that could help us contextualise it (eg, hut circles, cairns, standing stones, etc).  It was mentioned in passing in Gwilym Hughes’ (2000) short piece on the Netherfield cup-marked stone 25 miles to the north-west, but he doesn’t appear to have seen it in the flesh, so to speak.  So what has become of it…?

References:

  1. Hughes, Gwilym, “The Cup Marked Stone,” in The Lockington Gold Hoard, Oxford 2000.
  2. Vine, Philip M., The Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures of the Middle and Upper Trent Basin, BAR: Oxford 1982.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Witherley Hall, Witherley, Leicestershire

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – SP 3245 9752

Archaeology & History

Witherley’s cup-marked stone (P.M.Vine 1982)

In his survey of prehistoric sites in the Trent basin area, archaeologist Philip Vine (1982) described a cup-marked stone that was “found in a rockery at Witherley Hall, formerly the Rectory, during the 1970s… along with medieval stone work of the chancel of the village church.”  Two distinct cup-markings that he described as “deepish” had been carved into a large ‘portable’ stone of coarse-grained diorite rock, measuring 53 by 51 cm — making it somewhat larger than your standard portable.  It looks like it may have come from a cairn (was there one nearby?).  Vine told that the carving was held in “private possession.”  What has become of it…?

References:

  1. Vine, Philip M., The Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures of the Middle and Upper Trent Basin, BAR: Oxford 1982.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian