Tag: Cup-and-Ring Stones

Ballynasare Bridge (2), Dingle, County Kerry

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – Q 547 012

Archaeology & History

Graves’s 1877 sketch

This was one of two cup-and-ring stones discovered in the mid-1870s by Lord Dunraven and Rev. James Graves (1877) “near Ballynasare bridge,” both of which are now lost.  It is much smaller than its compatriot, but sadly Mr Graves gave no notice as to its exact size nor its proximity to the other carving, although I presume they were pretty close to each other.  He told that the carving was “cut upon the surface of the natural rock,” meaning that unless it’s been quarried or built over, it should still be there somewhere.

The grid reference cited here is an approximation given in Cuppage’s (1986) excellent survey, who told that its “precise location is not now known and may have been in any of the four townlands which converge at the bridge.” Hopefully it’ll be hiding away in some undergrowth, awaiting the attention of an antiquarian explorer.  Are there any local folk who are able to help us out with this one?

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.
  2. Graves, James, “On Cup and Circle Sculptures as Occurring in Ireland,” in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries, Ireland, volume 4 (4th series), April 1877.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballynasare Bridge (1), Dingle, County Kerry

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – Q 547 012

Archaeology & History

Ballynasare Bridge (1) (Graves 1877)

This is one of two impressive petroglyphs that were discovered by Lord Dunraven and Rev. James Graves in the mid-1870s, “near Ballynasare bridge”, but which are now lost (the other one is the Ballynasare Bridge (2) stone).  This carving is the larger and more impressive of the two that they found, on which he described some of the carved rings as “incomplete.”  Although Graves (1877) didn’t give a detailed description of the carving, this drawing (right) more than makes up for his lack of words.  One of the features that he did tell us about was one of the primary motifs in this design which modern students like to call radial grooves. “Sometimes,” he wrote, “a short and slightly curved line, drawn from a hollow outside the circle to the central cup, passes through the open part of the circumference.  More frequently, this line stops short just as it reaches the break in the circle.”

The grid reference here is an approximation given in Cuppage’s (1986) excellent survey, who told that its “precise location is not now known and may have been in any of the four townlands which converge at the bridge.” Hopefully it’ll be hiding away in some undergrowth, awaiting the attention of an antiquarian explorer.  Are there any local folk who are able to help us out with this one?

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.
  2. Graves, James, “On Cup and Circle Sculptures as Occurring in Ireland,” in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries, Ireland, volume 4 (4th series), April 1877.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Brackloon (1), Annascaul, County Kerry

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Cup-Marked Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – Q 6014 0226

Archaeology & History

A cup-marked stone that was reported here in the 1940s by the Kerry Archaeological Survey (KAS) was said to have disappeared in Judith Cuppage’s (1986) survey.  She told that “there is no visible trace or local knowledge of the” carving.  It may well have been destroyed.  Seemingly KAS made no notes or sketches of the site.

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballinvownig, Dingle, County Kerry

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – Q 46 00

Archaeology & History

This lost carving probably still exists, but in all likelihood is well overgrown by vegetation.  It was in that state of affairs when Rev. Orpen (1908) wrote about it more than a hundred years ago in  his essay on the petroglyphs between Lispole and Dingle.  After describing and illustrating several carvings in the area, he told:

“I may mention here that further west, near Ballintaggart, at Ballywoonig, there is another single cup and circle which I found on a rock, the last of which was covered with clay and grass. I had these removed, hut nothing further was disclosed.”

Sadly, he left us with no sketch.  His wording suggests that the carving is close to the southern boundary of Ballinvownig, pehaps near the souterrains near Ballintaggart house…?  Perhaps some local antiquarian explorers might be able to find out where it’s hiding—although it will doubtless be covered in vegetation.

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.
  2. Orpen, R., “Antiquities near Lispole, Co. Kerry,” in Kerry Archaeological Magazine, volume 1,  1908.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Tweed Ford, Drumelzier, Peeblesshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (removed):  OS Grid Reference – NT 12364 32627

Also Known as:

  1. Drumelzier Carving

Archaeology & History

Position of stone in cairn

A carving that was located at the edge of a cairn on a knoll on the east-side of the River Tweed, this is an odd design that now lives in Edinburgh’s central museum: odd, inasmuch as the design looks as if it’s a typical cup-and-ring carving, yet none of the cups on this stone were ever hollowed or pecked out, and so the “cups”, so to speak, are actually small rings (if that makes sense!).  There are a number of similar unhollowed “cups” on other carvings that are found associated with prehistoric tombs, so perhaps this aspect was something of a burial trend—amongst a very small tribal group, perhaps… It’s an element that was remarked upon in Simpson & Thawley’s (1972) examination of petroglyphs in neolithic tombs that were called “passage grave style” carvings: a sort of dyslexic cup-and-ring design no less!  The intriguing thing about this carving is that it’s one in a small cluster of dyslexic cup-and-rings that are found in this part of Scotland—in an area where rock art itself is pretty scarce.  Which begs the question: was it a local tribal style?  Anyhow…

The carving was first uncovered when J.H. Craw (1930) excavated the aforementioned cairn, finding therein a number of cists.  There’s speculation that the petroglyph might originally have been a covering stone for one of the cists, but we don’t know for sure. Craw described the carving as follows:

Craw’s 1930 sketch
Ron Morris’ 981 sketch

“The ring-marked slab…measures 3 feet by 2 feet by 6 inches.  It lay at the north side of the cairn (highlighted in sketch, PB), outside the encircling ring, but may originally have been the cover of cist No.2.  On the upper side are five shallow ring-markings, four being double and one single.  The former measure 3 inches to 4 inches in diameter, and the latter 1¾ inch.  The figures are thus much smaller than in typical cup-and-ring-marked stones, and the lines are only ¼ inch in width.  The only similar markings known to me are on a slab which I found a number of years ago near the site of several former cairns, and forts at Harelawside near Grant’s House, Berwickshire.  The stone is now in our Museum.”

The “museum” in question being Edinburgh’s National Museum (I don’t know if it’s in a box somewhere or on public display, which is where it needs to be).  If anyone can get a good photo of this carving, please send it to us or add it on on our Facebook group.

References:

  1. Craw, J.H., “The Excavation of a Cairn at Drumelzier, Peeblesshire,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 65, 1930.
  2. Morris, Ronald W.B., “The Cup-and-Ring and Similar Early Sculptures of Scotland; Part 2 – The Rest of Scotland except Kintyre,” in Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society, volume 16, 1969.
  3. Morris, Ronald W.B., “The Cup-and-Ring Marks and Similar Sculptures of Scotland: A Survey of the Southern Counties – part 2,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 100, 1969.
  4. Morris, Ronald W.B., The Prehistoric Rock Art of Southern Scotland, BAR: Oxford 1981.
  5. Ritchie, Graham & Anna, Edinburgh and South-East Scotland, Heinnemann: London 1972.
  6. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments, Scotland, Peeblesshire – volume 1, Aberdeen University Press 1967.
  7. Simpson, D.D.A. & Thawley, J.E., “Single Grave Art in Britain,” in Scottish Archaeological Forum, no.4, 1972.

Acknowledgements:  Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland. 

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Kinard East (2), Lispole, County Kerry

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (destroyed):  OS Grid Reference – V 4967 9923

Archaeology & History

In Rev. Orpen’s (1908) description of the impressive Kinard East (1) carving, before leaving he told that “about 20 yards to the north of this…stone may be seen a single cup and circle on the corner of a rock.”  Judith Cuppage (1986) reported that this stone “has apparently been broken up for use as road-metal.”  Gone!

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.
  2. Finlay, F., Rock Art of Cork and Kerry, unpublished MA thesis 1973.
  3. Orpen, R., “Antiquities near Lispole, Co. Kerry,” in Kerry Archaeological Magazine, volume 1,  1908.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Ballinknockane, Kilquane, County Kerry

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost):  OS Grid Reference – Q 43 11

Archaeology & History

Judith Cuppage (1986) told that in the unpublished Minutes of the County Kerry Field Club for 1944, mention was made of a multiple-ringed petroglyph that hasn’t been seen since.  It sounds quite impressive.  She told how they’d,

“discovered a stone bearing a cup-and-gapped circle and a cup-and-3 gapped circles, “on the fence opposite the church” at Camp.  Mortar still adhering to the stone as if it had been removed from a building.” Adding that, “neither its original provenance nor present whereabouts are known.”

Surely some good wise local still knows where this olde stone lives?  In a garden perhaps…?  It would be good to know that it’s still alive and well.

References:

  1. Cuppage, Judith, Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne: Ballyferriter 1986.

Acknowledgements:  Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland. 

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Easter Brackland, Callander, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 65736 07989

Getting Here

The carved stone in situ

Less than a mile east of Callander on the main A84 road, nearly 300 yards just past the entrance into the Keltie Bridge caravan park, take the tiny road on your left (north) and barely 100 yards along where a small crossroads can be said to exist, go straight forward up the tiny single-track road ahead of you.  Literally 0.62 miles, or 1km up, park on the right-side of the road where a small grassy track runs up the slope.  From here, you need to keep walking up the road itself, bearing right just past the small bridge and, about 350 yards along you’ll see a notable rise in the field on your right less than 100 yards in.  Head straight for it!

Archaeology & History

Despite this being a very basic simplistic design, I’m somewhat disappointed in myself as (for once!) I didn’t indulge myself in the soaking muddy ground and peel back the dung-infested turf to see the entire surface of this stone and, as a result, didn’t see the carving in its entirety.  I’d have got soaked and been covered in shit, but that’s my usual course of action anyhow.  But this time we were visiting an antique centre and book-dealer straight afterwards, so for once I couldn’t play in the mud.  Damn those neat and tidy folk!

It’s nowt special to look at in all honesty, but it’s in a good state of preservation as it was seemingly uncovered in pretty recent times beneath the curious large mass of loose stones right next to it.  The stone mass gives the impression of it being a ruined cairn, but seems more likely to be a clearance cairn that was piled up, quite fortuitously, next to the cup-marked rock.

The carving consists of eight cup-marks (not all shown in these photos): five large and prominent, one not so prominent, and two that are small and very shallow.  The more distinct cups would seem to have been worked and re-worked many times, obviously possessing a practical nature of some sort.  As we can see in the photos, four of the larger cups stand out, whilst the small ones can be difficult to see.  I need to go back here sometime and clear the rest of the stone to see if there are more cup-marks underneath the soil.  Check it out for yourself when you’re looking at the nearby cairns at Ballachraggan and beyond.

References:

  1. Main, Lorna & Page, R., “Easter Brackland, Stirling,” in Discovery & Excavation Scotland, volume 2, 2001.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Woodend, Mossfennan, Broughton, Peeblesshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NT 12136 31360

Also Known as:

  1. Mossfennan Farm

Archaeology & History

Carving, looking W: courtesy Jim Ness

A little-known multiple ringed carving was discovered a few years ago during the excavation of a prehistoric cairn just immediately east of the A701 roadside, several miles south of Broughton.  The cairn itself had been recognised many years prior to the recent excavation, when one of two cists inside it was noted by R.B.K. Stevenson (1940), and which was subsequently described in slightly more detail in the Royal Commission Inventory (1967).  But when the modern investigation was undertaken by the Biggar Archaeology Group in 2008, a damaged but impressive carving was uncovered that somehow hadn’t been noticed before.  It was described in Tam Ward’s (2008) excavation report where he told that,

Carving in situ (photo courtesy Jim Ness)
Carving looking N: courtesy Jim Ness

“lying almost immediately on the east side of Cist 1 is an angular rock…measuring 1m long and over 0.3m wide on the uppermost face, itself lying at an angle facing SW and away from  the cist.  The rock has fractured due to weathering in post deposition times, as indeed several other surface stones had, but on the widest part of the upper surface are at least seven concentric lines faintly pecked into the smooth flat surface of the stone. The lines are up to 10mm wide and appear to have been intended to form semi ovals on the edge of the rock.  The outer ring forms an arc of c270mm on the long axis by c140mm on the short one (the former measurement being straight between the ends of the lines and the latter being a radius across the design). The terminals of the inner curved line are about 80mm apart. The lines are slightly irregular in distance from one another. Although it is far from certain, it does not appear that the rock has been part of a larger one with a more complete design on it, rather the pecking appears not to have been finished since the surface of the rock is similar in appearance overall while the abrasion of the carving varies.”

Fractured design (photo courtesy Jim Ness)

The carving remains in place with the cist, which was covered back over when the excavation had been finished.

Carvings such as this are uncommon in this neck o’ the woods; although less than a mile downstream from here, on the other side of the river, another petroglyph—known as the Drumelzier carving—accompanied another prehistoric tomb.  Apart from this, there’s a great scarcity of carvings scattering the Lowlands—although it’s likely that there are others hiding away, waiting to be found on these hills…

References:

  1. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments, Scotland, Peeblesshire – volume 1, Aberdeen University Press 1967.
  2. Stevenson, R.B.K., “Cists near Tweedsmuir,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 74, 1940.
  3. Ward, Tam , “Excavation of a Bronze Age burial cairn at Woodend, Mossfennan Farm, Upper Tweeddale,” Biggar Archaeology 2008.

Acknowledgements:  Huge thanks to Jim Ness and Tam Ward of the Biggar Archaeology Group for use of the photos in this site profile. 

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Hallyne, Peebles, Peeblesshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone (removed):  OS Grid Reference – NT 1872 4072

Archaeology & History

Included in the standard catalogues by Ronald Morris (1967; 1969), this carving was brought to light fortuitously by the local farmer who, thankfully, recognized its archaeological importance.  Etched into a small flat broken block of stone, he noticed a cup-marking and the remains of a triple-ring around it, with grooves running out from the central cup.  It was described in detail by the Royal Commission (1967) lads in their county survey where they told:

R.W.B. Morris’ 1967 photo
Hallyne carving in Peebles Museum

“During the excavations at the Roman fort at Lyne…in June 1959, a stone bearing cup-and-ring markings was found lying beside the fence that crosses the North Annexe.  According to local information it was found while ploughing in the field on the NE side of the fence.  It is a sandstone block, measuring 1ft 5in by one foot, and with an average thickness of 8in.  It is clearly a mere fragment of what must have been a larger slab, but it is impossible to estimate its original dimensions.  The markings consist of a single well-formed cup, 2in in diameter and three-quarters of an inch in depth, now partly surrounded by the broken arcs of three rings, which, if complete, would measures about 4in, 7in and 10in in diameter respectively.  The rings are all half an inch in width and one eighth of an inch in depth.  From the innermost ring two radial grooves, set one inch apart, extend outwards for a maximum distance of 4in.  They interrupt the two outer rings, which stop short on either side of them, leaving a gap of about half an inch.  The grooves are slightly narrower and shallower than the rings.  The whole symbol has been formed by the pecking technique and punchmarks are still remarkably fresh.  Outside the outermost ring there is a very shallow depression, one inch in diameter, which may be another cup-mark; in addition there are several recent scars caused by the plough.”

It was moved to the museum in Peebles shortly after being found and remains there to this day, apparently.  I’ve not seen it.

References:

  1. Morris, Ronald W.B., “The Cup-and-Ring Marks and Similar Sculptures of South-West Scotland,” in Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society, volume 14, 1967.
  2. Morris, Ronald W.B., “The Cup-and-Ring and Similar Early Sculptures of Scotland; Part 2 – The Rest of Scotland except Kintyre,” in Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society, volume 16, 1969.
  3. Morris, Ronald W.B., The Prehistoric Rock Art of Southern Scotland, BAR: Oxford 1981.
  4. Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland, Peeblesshire – volume 1, HMSO: Edinburgh 1967.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian