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 includes two carved gritstone rocks, one of them divided in two
by a fissure. They are situated on Horse Close Hill, in a field north east of
Cawder Hall Farm. They are south of the north wall of the field and 37m from
the north east corner of the field. Accurate National Grid References are SD
99853 50387, and SD 99855 50393.
The fissured rock is partly covered in vegetation. The visible part measures
5.5m by 2.5m by 0.9m. The carving consists of at least 14 cups on the larger,
western part, and five cups on the smaller, eastern part.
The second rock is also partly covered in vegetation. The visible part
measures 1.4m by 0.9m by 0.1m. The carving consists of six cups, one of them
with a partial ring. Two other cups are also reported to have part rings.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
29114
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
