Prehistoric rock art in Patterdale 40m north west of Beckstones

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 (c.2800-500 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.

Despite partial quarrying of the bedrock and a thin growth of vegetation which may obscure some of the motifs, the prehistoric rock art in Patterdale 40m north west of Beckstones survives well. It is one of four recently discovered prehistoric rock art sites in Patterdale which together will contribute greatly to further study and understanding of prehistoric rock art sites in the region.

Details

The monument includes a prehistoric rock art site in Patterdale 40m north west of Beckstones. It consists of exposed granite bedrock which has been quarried at its northern end and which is angled at about 20 degrees from the horizontal. Upon the sloping summit of the bedrock a series of prehistoric rock carvings have been made. These carvings consist of numerous motifs including `cup' marks, ie small circular hollows in the rock, ovals, rectangles with rounded corners, and some grooves or channels pecked into the rock.

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:

32872

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Beckensall, S, New Discoveries, (1999)

End of official list entry

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