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Cup and groove marked rock 590m north of Brier Dykes, Baldersdale

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1016592
Date first listed:: 19-Mar-1999

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1016592
Date first listed:: 19-Mar-1999

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: County Durham (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Hunderthwaite
National Grid Reference:: NY 95152 20221

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'. Pecked lines or grooves can also exist in isolation from cup and ring decoration. 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 the rock 590m north of Brier Dykes survives well and it is one of several carved rocks on the north side of Baldersdale. It will contribute to the study of prehistoric carved rocks in Britain.

Details

The monument includes a prehistoric carved rock on the north side of Baldersdale. It is situated on the top of a ridge 590m north of Brier Dykes. The rock is level with the ground on the north side and is partly covered by turf. The visible part measures 1.3m by 0.56m. The rock has been quarried on its south and east sides, and the quarried face is 0.3m high. The carving consists of a large number of cups. On the south east edge a groove partly encloses several cups; this groove has been partly quarried away. The carving is slightly obscured by turf on the north side.

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:: 32095
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
Beckensall, S and Laurie, T , Prehistoric Rock Art of County Durham Swaledale and Wensleydale, forthcoming

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.