Rock Art Database

CULNAKIRK

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Canmore ID 12340 SCRAP ID 1500
Location OS Grid Ref: NH 49865 31069 Team Not in team
Existing Classifications
Classification Period
CUP MARKED STONE PREHISTORIC
Date Fieldwork Started 13/08/2020 Date Fieldwork Completed
New Panel? No  

Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Panel Name CULNAKIRK Number
Other names HER MHG2681
HER/SMR MHG2681
SM Number Other
Classifications And Periods
Classification 1 Cup Marked Stone Period 1 Neol/bronze Age
County
INVERNESS-SHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

OS NGR NH 49866 31076
New OS NGR NH 49865 31069
Lat/Long 57.34531 -4.49649
Obtained By: Mobile Phone

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Located
  • At original location
Accession no. Not given

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

Weather Cloudy
Position in landscape Hillside
Topography(terrain within about 500m of panel.) Sloping
Aspect of slope (if on sloping terrain e.g. S, SE etc.) S

B2. Current land use & vegetation

  • Improved Pasture
  • Urban/Garden
  • Route way

B3. Forestry

  • No selection

B4. Archaeological Features within 200m / or visible from the panel

  • Other rock art
  • Field System
  • Burial Mound/Cairn

B5. Location Notes

The panel is an erratic boulder situated just beside and to the N of the entrance to Clachmhor, a house to the E of the minor road to Culnakirk Farm. The panel lies on the SSE facing slope overlooking the River Enrick very near where it enters Loch Ness to the E. There are several small trees on the verge of the road beside the panel, including one about 1m to the W and another 3m to the N, and a post and wire fence lies to the NE. There is a second cup marked panel in the field about 80m to the NE called the Clachmhor stone, which is a scheduled monument. There are a number of prehistoric sites in the area, a Clava type cairn to the W, hut circles lie to the N and the multiperiod site of Garbeg is about 1km to the E.

Previous Notes

NH 51144 38388 to NH 49873 30900 Work was undertaken, 5ñ28 August 2008, to assess the potential impact of a new overhead electricity line between Ardendrain and Culnakirk. 34 sites were identified. The following sites of note were recorded: Culnakirk cup-marked stone (NH43SE 3) Recorded in 1882 as being marked on its exposed face with five circular depressions, all c60 x 75mm in diameter. It was recorded in 1964 as being deeply embedded in the ground. During survey in 2008 it could not be located, suggesting that it may have been moved. Archive: HAS Cait McCullagh ñ Highland Archaeology Services Ltd

NH43SE 3 49866 31076 NH 4987 3107: There is a cup-marked stone, imbedded in the ground about 58 yards west of'Clachmor' (NH43SE 2) There are 5 cups,all 2 1/2-3" in diameter, on its exposed level surface. W Jolly 1882 Only two cup marks 2 1/2" to 3" in diameter can be seen on this stone at NH 4987 3107, which is deeply embedded in the ground and partly covered by turf. Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (R D) 3 December 1964 There are two plain cup-markings, measuring up to 70mm by 10mm, on the upper surface of what is probably an erratic boulder, which lies in the corner of a pasture field immediately E of the track to Culnakirk. Visited by RCAHMS (JBS) 23 September 1997

This site was recorded as part of the RCAHMS Emergency Survey, undertaken by Angus Graham and Vere Gordon Childe during World War 2. The project archive has been catalogued during 2013-2014 and the material, which includes notebooks, manuscripts, typescripts, plans and photographs, is now available online. Information from RCAHMS (GF Geddes) 4 December 2014.

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

In the landscape Boulder/Slab

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

Dimensions of panel (m to one decimal place)
Length (longer axis) 2.9 Width 1.1
Height (max) 0.4 Height (min) 0
Approximate slope of carved surface
5 degrees degrees
Orientation (Aspect e.g. NW)
Rock Surface S Carved Surface S Carved Surface

C3. Rock Surface

Surface Compactness Hard Grain Size Medium Visible Anomalies Quartz Veins
Rock Type Gneiss

C4. Surface Features

  • No selection

C5. Panel Notes

This is a large boulder of gneiss measuring 2.9 x 1.1m and up to 0.4m above of the grass of the verge. The boulder extends about 0.2m into the tarmac of the drive. On the day of the visit the grass around the boulder had been strimmed and the site appeared cared for. The owner of the nearby house knew of its presence. There is 1 very clear cupmark and another 6 cupmarks, with a further 2 possible cupmarks on the boulder. The deeper, more visible cup, along with 3 others lie in a possibly natural channel which runs NW-SE along the centre of the boulder. There are 2 prominent quartz inclusions running NW-SE either side of the channel. There is a single cup mark on the SW side of the boulder.

C6. Probability

The probability that there is any rock art on the panel is Definite

Comments

No comments added

C7. MOTIFS

Cupmark
cupmark_1
7

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

  • Right to Roam access.

D2. Awareness

  • Panel was known before the project.
  • This panel is known to others in the local community.
There are stories or folk traditions associated with this panel No

D3. Risk

Natural
  • There are trees nearby whose roots might disturb the rock.
Animal
Human
  • The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.
Comments and other potential threats

No comments added