Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCastleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of
Cup & ring marked rocks

Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of

Scotland
HES SM4381
Site type
Cup & ring marked rocks
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Castleton Cup and Ring Marked Rocks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The carvings comprise cup marks and concentric ring motifs pecked into the natural bedrock outcrop. This form of abstract rock art is characteristic of the Bronze Age period across northern Britain, typically dating to around 2500–1500 BC. The site lies upon bedrock of the Clackmannan Group, Westphalian sedimentary formations that provide a relatively stable stone surface suitable for this type of artistic expression.

Cup and ring marked rocks served ritual, territorial or commemorative purposes within Bronze Age communities. The technique involved repeatedly striking the stone with a hard stone tool to create the distinctive hemispherical depressions, often surrounded by concentric circular grooves. These markings were sometimes pecked into single isolated boulders or, as at Castleton, into fixed rock outcrops that would have remained prominent landscape features across generations.

The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4381. The Castleton carvings contribute to the broader distribution of cup and ring rock art found across Stirlingshire and the surrounding regions, preserving evidence of Bronze Age cultural expression and land use in central Scotland.

Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4381. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of?

Castleton Cup and Ring Marked Rocks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4381.

Who is responsible for protecting Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of?

Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of 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 SM4381.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Antonine Wall, 495m WSW and 125m SE of Bonnyside House (8.7 km), Station House, Roman temporary camp 200m SE of (8.7 km), Antonine Wall, 160m ENE to 155m NW of St Joseph's Church (8.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of

Castleton,cup & ring marked rocks NW of stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.