Tag: Petroglyphs

Middleton Moor 001, North Yorkshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 11545 52017

Photo by Richard Stroud

Getting Here

Go up the long winding Ilkley-Langbar country moorland road.  A coupla miles along there’s a sharp bend in the road, left, with a dirt-track here that takes you onto the moors.  Walk up here to the shooting house just east of Black Hill in the Middleton Moor enclosure and, once there, walk up the steepish slope to the left (west). Once on the level, head to the wall and about halfway along, look around.  If the heather’s long and deep you’ll be lucky to find it.  Good luck!

Archaeology & History

Photo by Richard Stroud
Photo by Richard Stroud
Sketch of the carving
Sketch of the carving

The carving was first discovered by Richard Stroud and I in April, 2005, amidst one of several exploratory outings to records known sites and, aswell, to keep our eyes peeled in the hope that we might find some new ones!  This was the first we came across; but when we found it, just one faint cup seemed noticeable on the southern edge of the small rounded stone; but after fifteen minutes of carefully rolling back the vegetation, this very well-preserved carving was eventually unveiled before us.  It’s in quite excellent condition!  The most notable part of the design are the two deep cup-markings, with the topmost cup looking half-surrounded by smaller cups on its southern edge.

There is also a well-preserved, though overgrown burial cairn (probably for one person) just a few yards west of this stone.  This is just about impossible to see unless the heather’s been burnt back.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Maen Cattwg, Gelligaer, Glamorganshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – ST 1269 9744

Also Known as:

  1. Gelli-Gaer carving
  2. Maen Catwg

Getting Here

From Gelligaer, take the northernern road up Heol Adam for 2-300 yards, where you’ll see a footpath on your left taking you into the fields. Walk up the path and as it crosses the wall and bends due east, you’ll see the boulder in the middle of the field. That’s it!

Archaeology & History

Across the road from Tir-y-Rhen is this singular flat boulder, measuring about 10ft x 6ft, with at least 33 full cup-markings etched on it. Described briefly in Chris Houlder’s (1974) Welsh Archaeological guide, then more recently in John Sharkey’s (2004) Welsh rock-art book where he told there to be perhaps another seventeen cups on its surface, the Royal Commission (1976) lads gave us the surity of definition in their survey of neolithic sites in the region. A kilometre north of Gelligaer, some 260m above sea level, we find this well-preserved carved rock:

“An approximately rectangular block…much weathered at at the corners…2.6m long NE-SW, by 1.7m wide, and about 0.6m thick.  The upper surface is covered with a haphazard series of 33 cup-marks varying from 40 to 115mm in diameter, and from 5 to 60mm deep… There are also 17 more cup-marks which are too weathered for precise measurement, but whose presence is certain.  Other may have been completely worn away.  Two more slabs of stone are just visible under the west corner of the main stone, suggesting the possibility that the cup-marks were made on the capstone of a cromlech, now collapsed.”

An earlier account by Wheeler (1925) described a number of lines or channels linking some cup-marks to each other, but these are now very difficult to see.  I’ll hopefully get some decent images of this carving sometime soon!

References:

  1. Houlder, Chris, Wales: An Archaeological Guide, Faber: London 1974.
  2. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments, Wales, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan – Volume 1: Pre-Norman, Part 1: The Stone and Bronze Ages, HMSO: Cardiff 1976.
  3. Sharkey, John, The Meeting of the Tracks, Gwas carreg gwalch: Llanwrst 2004.
  4. Wheeler, R.E.M., Prehistoric and Roman Wales, Oxford University Press 1925.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Langbar Stone, Langbar Moor, North Yorkshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 11180 52052

Also Known as:

  1. Carving no.41 (Feather)
  2. Carving no.459 (Boughey & Vickerman)

Getting Here

Langbar Moor carving - with extra ring
Langbar Moor carving © Richard Stroud

Various ways to get here (being in the middle of the moor n’ all).  I s’ppose the best way is to go from Langbar village, up hill to The Old Pike giant cairn, then follow the footpath on about 100 yards before dropping down the slope to your right, south (NOT the other way!).  You’ll notice some walling and an old path near the bottom of the slope SE from you – head in that direction, but before you get there, a coupla hundred yards before, stop and look around.  Good luck!

Archaeology & History

Found halfway up the southern slope beneath The Old Pike giant cairn, we find this large, flat earthfast stone, on which are the very faded remains of archetypal cup-and-ring motifs. At the top-end of the stone are slightly more pronounced cup-markings – seemingly more than is shown on the drawing, with the multiple-rings halfway along the stone. On the southeastern part of the stone, Richard Stroud found another previously unseen aspect of the carving, consisting of one large ring, with perhaps a line running out to the east. This can be seen in the water-highlighted photo.

Langbar Stone, with small single circle not noticed by archaeologists
Langbar Stone, with extra single ring not previously noted

If you visit this carving, try and get to the Middleton Moor CR-482 stone half-a-mile southwest – where I for one got the distinct impression that whoever carved that stone, also carved this one!  Barmy p’raps — but if we don’t allow subjective interface here and there, we never learn a damn thing!

Listed as stone 459 in Boughey & Vickerman’s (2003) survey, they erroneously ascribe Eric Cowling to have found it in Rombald’s Way (1946), whereas the first mention of it appears to have been by Stuart Feather in 1966 (though Cowling does mention a ‘Langbar Stone’, but illustrates another one nearby).

References:

  1. Boughey, Keith & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, WYAS 2003.
  2. Cowling, Eric T., Rombald’s Way, William Walker: Otley 1946.
  3. Feather, Stuart, ‘Mid-Wharfedale Cup-and-Ring Markings. No.41, Langbar Moor, Ilkley,’ in Bradford Cartwright Hall Archaeology Group Bulletin, 11, 1966.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Knotties Stone, Otley Chevin, West Yorkshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 20772 44181

Also Known as:

  1. Carving no. 396 (Boughey & Vickerman)

Getting Here

Knotties stone (photo, James Elkington)

From The Royalty hotel, walk along the footpath onto the Chevin itself, turning left then walk about 350 yards east, past the small copse of trees.  Just north of the main path before the land slopes down you’ll find it.  It’s carved on an earthfast rock about 6 feet long.

Archaeology & History

This is an excellent carving if you’re into cup-and-rings!  Eric Cowling (1940) first described the stone* in an article for the Yorkshire Archaeology Society.  Although it’s somewhat faded, when the stone’s wet and the sun’s low on the horizon, you can make out more rings than just the three which Boughey & Vickerman (2003) described in their survey.

Folklore

Knotties Stone (E.T. Cowling)

Although the Chevin itself has a tradition of ‘supposed’ heathen goings-on in bygone days, the carving has nothing specific said about it.  Although one intriguing bit of info comes from the old Otley historian, Harold Walker (1974), who said that, “blocks of stone were sent from (the) Chevin to form the foundations of the Houses of Parliament”!

Those lying deviants probably smashed up a few bits of extra rock art when they did this — not that those sort of people give a shit about anything unless it’s about money.

References:

  1. Boughey, Keith & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, WYAS 2003.
  2. Cowling, E.T., ‘A Classification of West Yorkshire “Cup-and-Ring” Stones,’ in Archaeology Journal, 97, 1940.
  3. Cowling, E.T., Rombald’s Way, William Walker: Otley 1946.
  4. Hotham, John Paul, Halos and Horizons, Hotham Publishing: Leeds 2021.
  5. Walker, Harold, This Little Town of Otley, Olicana: Otley 1974.

* Graeme Chappell tells me that this carving was named after Cowling’s nickname, Knotty!

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian 


Keill Vreeshey, Crosby, Isle of Man

megalithix

Standing Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SC 3316 8014

Archaeology & History

Keeill Carved Stone (Shaw 1877)

Seemingly destroyed, this carved standing stone was first described in Shaw’s Tourist Guide to the Isle of Man (1877), where he says it stood by the wall of the chapel, telling how it was “one of several stones inscribed with various designs and inscriptions.”

Hope that I’m wrong, but it seems like we’ve lost some more good old cup-and-ring art…

References:

  1. Shaw, N., Tourist Guide to the Isle of Man, 1877.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


High Carr Rocks, Keighley, West Yorkshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stones:  OS Grid Reference – SE 0578 4395

Getting Here

High Carr Cup-Markings (1 & 2)

Loadsa ways to get to this little outcrop, which the Boughey & Vickerman survey (2003) says comprises of five different carvings (CRs 33-37).  I’m not so sure misself.  When Stuart Feather first found these in the 1950s, he only thought three stones were carved, which I think is the more accurate.

Most folk would probably prefer to walk down the slope from Holden Gate down the footpath past Jaytail Farm, then dropping down to the very bottom of the fields (south) where you’ll see a small knoll with a cluster of rocks just in front of the tree-line.  But I wandered up thru the ‘Private’ (ahem!) woodland, wet-thru in the pouring rain, and clambered over the wall right to the very spot (the old dowser’s ‘seek-and-find-rock-art’ nose worked again!).

Archaeology & History

High Carr Cup-Marked Stone
High Carr Cup-Marked Stone – from Hedge’s Carved Rocks on Rombald’s Moor

Listed in John Hedge’s (1986) survey as carvings 1-5, I’d say there’s one “definite” carving here, but the others – comprising simply of cups – are a little dubious.  The main carving has at least six definite cup-markings, found on the rock at the highest point of the knoll at the bottom of the field.  The drawing in Hedge’s survey shows as many as 12 cups on this stone, but I’m not totally convinced.  Another stone right next to the main one has, perhaps, a cup-marking or two on it – but again, these may be natural.

Of the other alleged carvings, it was difficult to work out as they were literally covered in tons of cow-shit. It seems this rock-outcrop is the local bovine toilet!  A lovely secluded place though, with plenty of wildlife to see.  Next stop from here: the great Holden waterfalls!

References:

  1. Boughey, K. & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, WYMCC: Wakefield 2003.
  2. Feather, S., ‘Three Bronze Age Rock Carvings near Keighley,’ in CHAGB 4:3, 1959.
  3. Hedges, John D., The Carved Rocks on Rombald’s Moor, WYMCC: Wakefield 1986.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Hawksnest, Langshaw, Melrose, Roxburghshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NT 499 403

Archaeology & History

The Scottish Royal Commission reported how,

“in 1936 a cup-marked boulder measuring 3ft 10in in length, 3ft 8in width and 1ft 8in in thickness, was found in a cultivated field half a mile southeast of Hawksnest and 75 yards north of the road from Hawksnest to Ladhopemoor.”

The carved stone had been scarred a little by the plough, but had “23 shallow cup-marks on its upper surface varying from 1in to 1.75in diameter.”  This carving is curiously omitted from Ronald Morris’ Prehistoric Rock Art of  Southern Scotland (1981), so perhaps the carving has been lost.  Does anyone know owt more about it?

References:

  1. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland, Roxburghshire – volume 2, HMSO: Edinburgh 1956.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian 


Hawk Stone, Shipley, West Yorkshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 1792 4099

Getting Here

Take the road from Shipley to Guiseley, the A6038, past the turn-off to Esholt, until you get to the top of what’s locally known as Hollins Hill.  There’s a small farm-track to your leftand in the woodland here you’ll find the rocky outcrop.

Archaeology & History

Nothing has been written about this spot, but in this large wind-and-water worn rock outcrop, with its small cave, on the top part of the rock are several faint cup-markings.

Folklore

Legend tells that a man on horseback jumped from the top of here and landed safely at Low Hall, Yeadon, 2500 yards away to the east. (probably some sort of solar lore)

References:

  1. Gray, Johnnie, Through Airedale, from Goole to Malham, 1891.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Hameldon Pasture, Worsthorne, Lancashire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SD 891 327

Archaeology & History

Hameldon Pasture cup-marked stone

In the vicinity of the denuded ring-cairn and old tumulus of Wortshorne Hill, the Calderdale historian Mr J.A. Heginbottom (1979) described finding this simple cup-marked rock, a hundred yards or so northwest of the old circle. In my ambles here I was unable to locate it. The stone may have been reburied or destroyed.  Prehistoric cup-marked carvings are (officially at least) rare things in Lancashire – and usually where you find one, others lurk close by.  Do any local folk out there know anything more about this site?

References:

  1. Heginbottom, J.A., The Prehistoric Rock Art of Upper Calderdale and the Surrounding Area, YAS: Leeds 1979.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


Greystone Allotment, Weston, North Yorkshire

megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 18433 49648

Also Known as:

  1. Carving no.541 (Boughey & Vickerman)
  2. Greystone Rock

Getting Here

Although cited as being on Weston Moor, it is closer to Askwith village. From the village, take the north road and shortly before reaching the T-junction, park-up (somewhere!). There’s a small copse of trees on your right and fields above them – that’s where you’re heading. You might have to bimble about a bit before the rock catches your attention, but it’s worth the wandering.  Look around!

Archaeology & History

Sketch of the design c.1985

This is an excellent, archetypal cup-and-ring stone that’ll be loved by any real rock art student!  Cups-and-multiple rings are the main visual feature to this stone, along with another 20 single cups and another primary cup-and-ring, all on a medium-sized sloping rock face.  The carving was first described by Cowling & Hartley (1937).  Since their initial discovery, several other writers have mentioned it with little further comment.  The smaller but impressive double cup-and-ring carving 543 can be seen at the bottom left of the woodland in front of you – well worth seeing if you’re visiting here!

References:

  1. Boughey, Keith & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, West Yorkshire Archaeology Service 2003.
  2. Cowling, Eric T., Rombald’s Way, William Walker: Otley 1946.
  3. Cowling, E.T. & Hartley, ‘Cup-and-Ring Markings to the North of Otley,’ in Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 33, 1937.
  4. Hotham, John Paul, Halos and Horizons, Hotham Publishing: Leeds 2021.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian