Ancient Monuments

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Group of five carved rocks on the western ridge of Stanbury Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Keighley, Bradford

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.8863 / 53°53'10"N

Longitude: -1.8343 / 1°50'3"W

OS Eastings: 410988.963322

OS Northings: 443362.347978

OS Grid: SE109433

Mapcode National: GBR HRMH.PL

Mapcode Global: WHC8V.SLQ0

Entry Name: Group of five carved rocks on the western ridge of Stanbury Hill

Scheduled Date: 19 January 1995

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1010813

English Heritage Legacy ID: 25260

County: Bradford

Civil Parish: Keighley

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): West Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Bingley All Saints

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

This monument includes a compact group of five carved rocks situated on
Stanbury Hill towards the western end of the ridge. The most prominent member
of the group is densely carved with cups, rings, and grooves. The remaining
members of the group are less densely carved but display a wide range of the
motifs typical of carved rocks in the cup and ring tradition.
Due to factors of scale in mapping the map extract may seem to imply that
sites SM25260 and SM25261 adjoin, but they are in fact separate on the ground.

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

Rombalds Moor is an eastern outlier of the main Pennine range lying between
the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. The bulk of this area of 90 sq km of
rough moorland lies over 200m above sea level. The moor is particularly rich
in remains of prehistoric activity. The most numerous relics are the rock
carvings which can be found on many of the boulders and outcrops scattered
across the moor. Burial monuments, stone circles and a range of enclosed
settlements are also known.
Prehistoric rock carving is found on rock outcrops in several parts of upland
Britain with one of the densest concentrations on Rombalds Moor. The most
common form of decoration is the `cup and ring' mark in which expanses of
small cup-like hollows, which may be surrounded by one or more `rings', are
pecked into the surface of the rock. Other shapes and patterns, including some
dominated by grooves or lines, are also known. Carvings may occur singly or in
small groups, or may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They are believed
to 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 have been interpreted as
sacred or religious symbols. Frequently they are found close to contemporary
burial monuments. All positively identified prehistoric rock carving sites
exhibiting a significant group of designs have been identified as nationally
important.

The carvings on these rocks survive well and will contribute to an
understanding of the wider grouping of carved rocks.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 43
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 43
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 43

Source: Historic England

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