Cup and groove marked rock on flat ground south of Foldshaw Ridge, 510m SSW of the shooting shelter, Middleton Moor
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1014172
- Date first listed:
- 11-Jan-1996
Map
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Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- North Yorkshire
- District:
- Harrogate (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Middleton
- National Grid Reference:
- SE 11492 51581
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.
The carving on this rock survives well and forms part of the prehistoric
landscape of Middleton Moor.
Details
The monument includes a carved gritstone rock, partly covered by vegetation,
and level with the ground. An accurate NGR for the monument is SE 11492 51583.
It is situated on Middleton Moor, south of Foldshaw Ridge, 510m SSW of the
shooting shelter.
The visible part measures 0.9m by 0.6m. The carving consists of at least seven
cup marks and two grooves, currently partly obscured by vegetation.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 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:
- 28026
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Feather, S, 'Bradford Archaeology Group Bulletin' in Bradford Archaeology Group Bulletin, (), 88-90
Feather, S, 'Bradford Archaeology Group Bulletin' in Bradford Archaeology Group Bulletin, (), 88-90
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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official listing