Reasons for Designation
Prehistoric rock art is found on natural rock outcrops in many areas of upland
Britain. It is especially common in the north of England in Northumberland,
Durham and North and West Yorkshire. The most common form of decoration is the
`cup and ring' marking where expanses of small cup-like hollows are pecked
into the surface of the rock. These cups may be surrounded by one or more
`rings'. Single pecked lines extending from the cup through the `rings' may
also exist, providing the design with a `tail'. Other shapes and patterns also
occur, but are less frequent. Carvings may occur singly, in small groups, or
may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They date to the Late Neolithic and
Bronze Age periods (2800-c.500 BC) and provide one of our most important
insights into prehistoric `art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains
unknown, but they may be interpreted as sacred or religious symbols.
Frequently they are found close to contemporary burial monuments and the
symbols are also found on portable stones placed directly next to burials or
incorporated in burial mounds. Around 800 examples of prehistoric rock-art
have been recorded in England. This is unlikely to be a realistic reflection
of the number carved in prehistory. Many will have been overgrown or destroyed
in activities such as quarrying. All positively identified prehistoric rock
art sites exhibiting a significant group of designs will normally be
identified as nationally important.
Details
The monument is located on the north west margins of the western gritstone
moorlands of the Derbyshire Peak District and includes a gritstone boulder
decorated with a total of nine cup-marks, each measuring c.3cm wide and c.2cm
deep. The boulder is roughly rectangular, measuring a maximum of 86cm by 64cm,
and lies on the line of a spring which follows the 330m contour. The location
of the stone indicates that it may have been a boundary feature associated
with a Bronze Age settlement or field system. Further Bronze Age features will
survive as earthworks and buried remains throughout the adjacent moorland but
have not been included in the scheduling as their extent and state of
preservation are not sufficiently understood. The ground underneath the stone
is included in the scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
23323
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
