Summary

A rock art panel bearing a complex of motifs of Neolithic/early Bronze Age date.

Source: Historic England

Details

Description: the panel (ERA 576) is located on level ground on the eastern edge of a forest ride on one of the highest parts of the Fell Sandstone Group. The panel measures 1.7m by 2.6m and slopes gently from the east to the quarried western side. The main motif comprises a cup with a short groove surrounded by a penannular, and is thought to have been carved in a shallow circular basin; it is considered that this basin and an outer fractured area have been artificially created as surface preparation. There is also a cup with an enclosing oval groove and two cups with arcs. Up to fifty cups of varying sizes are scattered across the surface, which cluster on the western side of the panel.

Extent of Scheduling: defined as a circle with a diameter of 5m in order to include a sample of the archaeologically sensitive surrounding ground.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The prehistoric rock art near Wellhope is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: despite susceptibility to natural weathering, this rock art panel is reasonably well preserved with the survival of relatively well-defined motifs including an example of surface preparation;
* Documentation: ritual and religious sites of Prehistoric Britain are without contemporary documentation and hence the value of the archaeological remains as our only evidence of their belief systems is enhanced;
* Diversity: this panel displays a complex arrangement of a variety of motifs; of particular significance are the large number of individual cups scattered across the panel surface and clustering on its western side;
* Potential: it will inform our knowledge of prehistoric society through individual study of its motifs and carving style, and through an increased understanding of the circumstances in which rock art was created and used;
* Group value: taken with other extensive areas of rock art near by at Snook Bank and Millstone Burn, it will enhance both our understanding of the inter-relationships between the individual panels, and their relationship to the wider landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Websites
England's Rock Art, accessed from http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/era/section/panel/overview.jsf?eraId=576
Other
Northumberland County Council HER: ID 4255,

Source: Historic England