Cup marked rock and small cairn between Dryas Dike and Foldshaw Ridge 730m ESE of Wards End, Middleton Moor

Reasons for Designation

Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Prehistoric rock carving is found on natural boulders and 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' marking, where small cup-like hollows are worked 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 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. All positively identified prehistoric rock carvings sites will normally be identified as nationally important. This monument includes a carved rock and a cairn. The carvings on the rock survive well. The cairn is undisturbed and will retain information on its original form and function as well as on its relationship to the adjacent carved rock. Together they form part of the prehistoric landscape on Middleton Moor.

Details

The monument includes a cup marked rock (accurate NGR is SE 1116351515) and a small cairn, 730m ESE of Wards End. They are situated to the east of a length of boulder walling which corresponds approximately to the boundary of Middleton civil parish. The carving on the rock consists of a large number of cups of varying sizes. The ditchless cairn is located 5m to the north west of the rock and is c.3m in diameter and c.0.3m high.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

28014

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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