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A cup marked rock with 13 cups and a groove, on a knoll in Scale Knoll Allotment, 700m north east of Black Hill Gate, Barningham Moor

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1017410
Date first listed:: 23-Oct-1997

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1017410
Date first listed:: 23-Oct-1997

Location

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

District:: County Durham (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Barningham
National Grid Reference:: NZ 04946 08739

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 700m north east of Black Hill Gate survives well and forms an important part of the prehistoric landscape of Barningham Moor, which includes numerous other prehistoric carved rocks and evidence for prehistoric burials, settlements, and the agricultural use of the land. This site will therefore contribute to studies of such prehistoric landscapes and the changing patterns of land use over time.

Details

The monument includes a carved sandstone rock, partly covered in vegetation. The visible part measures 0.56m by 0.56m by 0.08m high. It is situated on Barningham Moor, in the modern sheep-grazing enclosure known as Scale Knoll Allotment, on a slight knoll 700m north east of Black Hill Gate. An accurate National Grid reference is NZ 04937 08735. The carving consists of at least 13 cups, two of them connected by a short groove.

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:: 30461
Legacy System:: RSM

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.