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Grange Cup and Ring Marked Rocks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Kirkcudbrightshire in south-western Scotland. The carvings are pecked into wacke bedrock formed during the Wenlock geological period as part of the Hawick Group, a sequence of ancient sedimentary rocks characteristic of the Southern Uplands. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1025.
Cup and ring marks are among the most enigmatic rock art motifs of prehistoric Britain and Ireland, concentrated particularly in upland regions. Created by repeated percussion during the Bronze Age, typically between 3000 and 1500 BC, these designs consist of cupules—small circular depressions—often surrounded by concentric rings. Their purpose remains uncertain, though interpretations range from ritual or astronomical significance to territorial markers or records of gathering places.
The Grange rocks contribute to understanding the distribution of this distinctive art form across Scotland. The Kirkcudbrightshire location places them within a recognized concentration of cup and ring marked sites in the south-west, where the local geology—accessible stone combined with relatively high ground—may have made suitable rock faces available. The protected status of this monument reflects its archaeological importance in interpreting Bronze Age artistic traditions and land use patterns in southern Scotland.
Grange, cup and ring marked rocks is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1025. View the official record →
Grange Cup and Ring Marked Rocks is a Bronze Age rock art site located in Kirkcudbrightshire in south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1025.
Grange, cup and 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 SM1025.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cup marked rocks, 605m SSW, 555m S and 545m SSE of High Grange (1 km), Blackhill,cup and ring marked rock 60m SE of (1 km), Drummore Farm,stone circle (1.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Grange, cup and 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.
Grange, cup and ring marked rocks stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.