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Broughton Mains is a cup and ring marked rock site located in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. The carvings are incised into the local wacke bedrock of the Hawick Group formation, a durable greywacke that provides a suitable surface for prehistoric rock art. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland.
Cup and ring marked rocks are a widespread phenomenon across Britain and Ireland, predominantly dated to the Bronze Age, though their precise chronology and purpose remain debated. The motifs typically comprise circular depressions surrounded by one or more concentric rings, sometimes combined with linear grooves. Their concentration in areas such as south-western Scotland suggests significant ritual or territorial significance to prehistoric communities.
The Wigtownshire landscape in which Broughton Mains sits formed part of the wider network of Bronze Age settlement and activity in the region. The presence of such rock art, combined with the local geology and landscape features, reflects the relationship between prehistoric peoples and their environment. The site remains an important record of early artistic expression and cultural practice in south-western Scotland.
Broughton Mains,cup & ring marked rocks is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1920. View the official record →
Broughton Mains is a cup and ring marked rock site located in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1920.
Broughton Mains,cup & ring marked rocks is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM1920.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Whithorn Priory, monastic settlement and priory (5.5 km), Dinnans,two forts (5.8 km), Little Balsmith,standing stone (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Broughton Mains,cup & ring marked rocks's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Broughton Mains,cup & ring marked rocks stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.