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Bedrock with cup, ring and possible groove marks 45m south west of Eastwoods Farm, Dacre Banks

A Scheduled Monument in Dacre, North Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.0544 / 54°3'15"N

Longitude: -1.7189 / 1°43'8"W

OS Eastings: 418496.54613

OS Northings: 462081.049986

OS Grid: SE184620

Mapcode National: GBR JPFK.NC

Mapcode Global: WHC84.KCN6

Entry Name: Bedrock with cup, ring and possible groove marks 45m south west of Eastwoods Farm, Dacre Banks

Scheduled Date: 18 September 1996

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1014978

English Heritage Legacy ID: 29108

County: North Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Dacre

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Details

The monument includes two small outcropping areas of exposed gritstone bedrock
with carvings. They are situated at Dacre Banks, south west of Eastwoods Farm.
They are 0.3m south of a fieldwall which runs WSW from the south west corner
of the barns, and 36m ENE of the west corner of this wall.
Both areas of bedrock are at ground level. One measures 1.8m x 0.4m, and has a
cup with a faint ring, several very small eroded cups, and a very eroded
possible groove. The other portion of rock measures 3.7m x 1.2m, and has four
cups.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

The carvings on these rocks survive well and the rocks are important examples
of a number of carved rocks south of the River Nidd between Bewerley and
Glasshouses.

Source: Historic England

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