Details

The monument is located on the north west margins of the western gritstone
moorlands of the Derbyshire Peak District and includes a gritstone boulder
decorated with a total of nine cup-marks, each measuring c.3cm wide and c.2cm
deep. The boulder is roughly rectangular, measuring a maximum of 86cm by 64cm,
and lies on the line of a spring which follows the 330m contour. The location
of the stone indicates that it may have been a boundary feature associated
with a Bronze Age settlement or field system. Further Bronze Age features will
survive as earthworks and buried remains throughout the adjacent moorland but
have not been included in the scheduling as their extent and state of
preservation are not sufficiently understood. The ground underneath the stone
is included in the scheduling.

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 cup-marked stone east of Robin Hood's Picking Rods is a well-preserved and
rare example of Peak District prehistoric rock art. Not only is it one of only
a very small number of in situ examples found in the Peak District, it is the
only evidence so far identified of Bronze Age settlement on this part of the
gritstone moors.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Shackleton Hill, Angela, Cup-marked stone 80m east of Robin Hood's Picking Rods, (1993)
Shackleton Hill, Angela, Cup-marked stone 80m east of Robin Hood's Picking Rods, (1993)

Source: Historic England