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Cup marked stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation is a Neolithic or Bronze Age rock carving located in North Yorkshire. The monument consists of a stone bearing a series of shallow cupmarks—small circular depressions pecked into the rock surface by repeated strikes with a stone tool. Cup marked stones are found across the British Isles, particularly concentrated in northern England and Scotland, where they typically date between 3000 and 1500 BC. Their precise purpose remains uncertain, though interpretations range from territorial or shamanistic significance to practical use in grinding pigments or ochre.
The stone sits on the Yoredale Group bedrock formation, which comprises limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks characteristic of the Bashkirian period. This geology reflects the area's ancient marine heritage and would have been well known to prehistoric communities exploiting local stone resources for toolmaking and ceremonial purposes.
The cup marked stone is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic England (reference 1014834) and covers a scheduled area of 0.01 hectares. Its survival as a visible archaeological feature within this upland landscape of Yorkshire reflects both the durability of rock art and the importance placed upon preserving this class of Prehistoric monument for future study and public appreciation.
Cup marked stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014834. View the official record →
Cup marked stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation is a Neolithic or Bronze Age rock carving located in North Yorkshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014834.
Cup marked stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1014834.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Packhorse bridge (5.4 km), Richmond Bridge (7 km), Richmond Castle: eleventh to fourteenth century enclosure castle (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cup marked stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation'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 stone 165m NNE of Folly Plantation stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.