Cup-marked rock between road and public toilets at Bracken Hall Green

Reasons for Designation

Rombalds Moor is an eastern outlier of the main Pennine range lying between the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. The bulk of this area of 90 sq km of rough moorland lies over 200m above sea level. The moor is particularly rich in remains of prehistoric activity. The most numerous relics are the rock carvings which can be found on many of the boulders and outcrops scattered across the moor. Burial monuments, stone circles and a range of enclosed settlements are also known. Prehistoric rock carving is found on rock outcrops in several parts of upland Britain with one of the densest concentrations on Rombalds Moor. The most common form of decoration is the 'cup and ring' mark in which expanses of small cup-like hollows, which may be surrounded by one or more 'rings', are pecked into the surface of the rock. Other shapes and patterns, including some dominated by grooves or lines, are also known. Carvings may occur singly or in small groups, or may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They are surmised to date to the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods (c.2800-500 BC) and provide one of our most important insights into prehistoric 'art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains unknown, but they have been interpreted as sacred or religious symbols. Frequently they are found close to contemporary burial monuments. All positively identified prehistoric rock carving sites exhibiting a significant group of designs have been identified as nationally important.

Although this rock may not be in its original location it is earthfast and its carvings survive well, it is therefore an important element of the assemblage of prehistoric rock carvings in the area of Baildon Moor, a southern extension of Rombalds Moor.

Details

The monument includes a rough gritstone boulder, 2m x 1.6m x 0.8m, with six shallow cups carved into the upper surface near the north east corner. The rock also has some more recent small round holes in four lines, probably feather marks, the results of an attempt to split the rock at an unknown date. The rock is located in a haphazard line of rocks on the verge between Glen Road and the public conveniences near the Old Glen House, at Bracken Hall Green.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 1 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

25251

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 51

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.