Details

The monument includes two carved gritstone rocks, one of them divided in two
by a fissure. They are situated on Horse Close Hill, in a field north east of
Cawder Hall Farm. They are south of the north wall of the field and 37m from
the north east corner of the field. Accurate National Grid References are SD
99853 50387, and SD 99855 50393.
The fissured rock is partly covered in vegetation. The visible part measures
5.5m by 2.5m by 0.9m. The carving consists of at least 14 cups on the larger,
western part, and five cups on the smaller, eastern part.
The second rock is also partly covered in vegetation. The visible part
measures 1.4m by 0.9m by 0.1m. The carving consists of six cups, one of them
with a partial ring. Two other cups are also reported to have part rings.

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 form an important outlying group
in the Skipton area, north west of the denser concentrations of carved rocks
on Rombalds Moor.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 53
Hedges, J D (ed), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, (1986), 53

Source: Historic England