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Tormain Hill is a Bronze Age rock art site comprising cup and ring marked stones located 700 metres north-east of Bonnington Mains in Midlothian. The carvings were created by pecking and grinding into the natural rock surface, a practice widespread across Britain during the Bronze Age, particularly between 3000 and 1500 BC. Cup and ring marks consist of circular depressions surrounded by concentric rings, their precise purpose remains unclear, though they likely held ritual or ceremonial significance for prehistoric communities.
The monuments rest upon Carboniferous to Permian igneous bedrock composed of dolerite and tholeiitic basalt, which would have been exposed on the landscape for thousands of years before the Bronze Age peoples carved them. This hard volcanic stone, though demanding to work with hand-held stone tools, provided a durable surface for the marks to survive to the present day. The local geology thus determined both the feasibility and longevity of the rock art.
Tormain Hill is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM1161. The site represents part of a broader pattern of Bronze Age rock art across central Scotland, where such marked outcrops are frequently found in upland and moorland settings. These carvings offer insight into the cosmological beliefs and artistic traditions of Bronze Age communities in the region.
Tormain Hill,cup & ring marked rocks 700m NE of Bonnington Mains is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1161. View the official record →
Tormain Hill is a Bronze Age rock art site comprising cup and ring marked stones located 700 metres north-east of Bonnington Mains in Midlothian. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1161.
Tormain Hill,cup & ring marked rocks 700m NE of Bonnington Mains 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 SM1161.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craigpark Quarry, enclosure 450m W of (1.2 km), Dalmahoy,cross slab,St Mary's Church (1.7 km), Dalmahoy Hill, fort (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tormain Hill,cup & ring marked rocks 700m NE of Bonnington Mains'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.
Tormain Hill,cup & ring marked rocks 700m NE of Bonnington Mains stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is dolerite and tholeiitic basalt.