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.
Details
The monument includes a low carved sandstone rock and a stretch of boulder and
rubble walling lying immediatly adjacent to it. It is situated on Barningham
Moor, in the modern sheep-grazing enclosure known as Scale Knoll Allotment,
north of the gate which is approximately halfway along the south wall of the
modern enclosure.
The prehistoric walling consists of several short stretches of boulder and
rubble bank, 2m-3m in width and up to 0.7m high. They are the remnants of a
prehistoric enclosure which has been robbed in the past for walling stone.
This prehistoric walling extends for 45m long and is 6m wide.
The rock is in situ, abutted by the walling, and measures 0.7m by 0.9m by
0.1m. The carving consists of four cups, joined by grooves to form a zig-zag
in the shape of a reversed capital `N'. It is of earlier date than the walling
and was reused within the enclosure walling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
30468
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
