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The cup marked rocks form a group of three Bronze Age rock carvings located near High Grange in Kirkcudbrightshire. These monuments, lying between 545 and 605 metres from the settlement, are carved into bedrock belonging to the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period. Cup marks—small, roughly hemispherical depressions pecked into stone surfaces—represent one of the earliest forms of rock art in Britain, typically created during the Bronze Age, though their precise dating and purpose remain debated among archaeologists.
The rock carvings sit within a landscape of Southern Upland geology characteristic of this region. The Hawick Group wacke provided a suitable stone for the repetitive pecking technique required to produce these marks, leaving them as enduring evidence of prehistoric activity. Such cupstone sites are found across Scotland and northern England, often located on open moorland or near settlement areas, suggesting connections to ritual practice, territorial marking, or ceremonial activity.
The cup marked rocks are protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM13749, recognising their archaeological and cultural significance as surviving examples of Bronze Age artistic and spiritual expression in south-western Scotland.
Cup marked rocks, 605m SSW, 555m S and 545m SSE of High Grange is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13749. View the official record →
The cup marked rocks form a group of three Bronze Age rock carvings located near High Grange in Kirkcudbrightshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13749.
Cup marked rocks, 605m SSW, 555m S and 545m SSE of High Grange 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 SM13749.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Blackhill,cup and ring marked rock 60m SE of (0.5 km), Milton,fort 180m NNW of (0.7 km), Grange, cup and ring marked rocks (1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cup marked rocks, 605m SSW, 555m S and 545m SSE of High Grange'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.
Cup marked rocks, 605m SSW, 555m S and 545m SSE of High Grange stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.