Complex pattern of cup-and-ring markings, Washbeck Green, Barningham Moor 1980-1997


Rock art on an upstanding boulder, Washbeck Green, Barningham Moor 1980-1997


Illustration of a complex cup and ring-marked stone, Washbeck Green, Barningham Moor 1980-1997

A large rectangular stone slab stands on the edge of an old field boundary. The remains of a number of cup and ring marks can be seen on it. These carvings were probably created in the early Bronze Age or late Neolithic. The purpose of these carvings is not clear though they may have had a religious function. This is a Scheduled Monument protected by law (1).

A cup and ring marked rock situated on Barningham Moor, in the area known as Washbeck Green. The sandstone rock is aligned roughly north to south, and measures 1.56 metres long, stands 0.85 metres high and is 0.46 metres thick. The carvings consist of six cup and ring motifs and nine cup marks. The most elaborate cup and ring motifs feature radial grooves or channels emanating from the central cup marks (8).