Cup, ring and groove marked rock near gate in enclosed pasture on Snowden Carr, 350m south of Low Hill Farm

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 Snowden Carr.

Details

The monument includes a carved gritstone rock, outcropping in the enclosed pasture at the east end of Snowden Carr, 9m from the gate into the field. The visible part of the rock measures 3.7m by 2.7m by 1.4m. An accurate grid reference for this monument is SE1814451226. The carving consists of a complex design of cup marks, rings and grooves. There are two cup marks, each with three part rings; one cup mark with three complete rings and a groove leading from the cup; two cup marks with single part rings; twelve other cup marks, and several short grooves.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 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:

28061

Legacy System:

RSM

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