Rock Art Database

WHITEHILL 3

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Canmore ID 44534 SCRAP ID 1750
Location OS Grid Ref: NS 51390 74032 Team Not in team
Existing Classifications
Classification Period
CUP AND RING MARKED ROCK PREHISTORIC
Date Fieldwork Started 22/03/2019 Date Fieldwork Completed
New Panel? No  

Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Panel Name WHITEHILL Number 3
Other names
HER/SMR SM Number Other
Classifications And Periods
Classification 1 Cup And Ring Marked Rock Period 1 Neol/bronze Age
County
DUNBARTONSHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

OS NGR NS 51380 74030
New OS NGR NS 51390 74032
Lat/Long 55.9363 -4.38064
Obtained By: GPS

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Located
  • At original location
Accession no. Not given

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

Weather Light Rain
Position in landscape Top of hill
Topography(terrain within about 500m of panel.) Undulating
Aspect of slope (if on sloping terrain e.g. S, SE etc.) S

B2. Current land use & vegetation

  • Wood/Forest
  • Route way

B3. Forestry

  • No selection

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

  • Other rock art

B5. Location Notes

The panel is situated at ground level on the top of a slight hill within a narrow stretch of relatively young mixed deciduous woodland surrounded by pasture and bounded by a wire fence on its E side. There are two rock art panels close by, both grouped together with Whitehill 3 in the same Canmore ID (44534): Whitehill 4 is approximately 25m to the SW and Whitehill 5 is approximately 40m to the S. Whitehill 1 and 2 (Canmore 445337 and 44538) are about 50m to th SW. The panel is located 80m NW of an enclosed mobile phone mast. About 20m N of the panel is a rocky outcrop, possibly a 18th/19th century quarry.

Previous Notes

NS57SW 31 5138 7403 See also NS57SW 6, 7, 16, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 42, 45, 48 and 70. NS 5138 7403. (Visited by OS {J L D} 10 November 1966) A large horizontal outcrop bears at least 18 cup and ring marks, two with two rings, and 45 cup marks. Many are in mint condition and show pecking. Twenty-eight yards SW, an escarpment has 12 cup marks; 15 yds further SW are 7 more cup marks and traces of others. The OS field surveyor noted a faint ring on this stone but was of the opinion that the cups could be the result of weathering. R W B Morris 1971; R W B Morris and D C Bailey 1967.

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

In the landscape Outcrop

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

Dimensions of panel (m to one decimal place)
Length (longer axis) 4 Width 2.2
Height (max) 0.4 Height (min) 0
Approximate slope of carved surface
10 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 Sandstone

C4. Surface Features

  • Fissures/cracks
  • Natural Hollows
  • Smooth Surface

C5. Panel Notes

This is a roughly rectangular area of exposed sandstone bedrock flush with the ground and sloping slightly to the S. The E edge of the panel is rounded and drops away quite steeply. The surface is textured by numerous longitudinal fissures and several small natural hollows. There are multiple cupmarks and cup and ring motifs mainly along the upper surface of the panel, before if curves away to the E. These include a cluster of 20 cupmarks in the NE end of the panel, te of whihc may have fint rings or partial rings. On this part of the panel there is also a possible keyhole motif, and some recent incised graffiti in an unidentifiable script (though by local residents to be magic lettering). The SW part of the panel features at least 8 cups with single rings, some of which are very faint and can only be seen in the 3D model, and one of which has a short radial line. Several of the cup and ring motifs are placed on natural fissures. There are also 4 cups with two rings or partial rings, 7 ovoid cups, and at least 2 cupmarks.

C6. Probability

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

Comments

The 7 'courgettes' are short and more like aubergines. There is also a form of keyhole motif with a closed end and recent graffiti.

C7. MOTIFS

Cupmark
cupmark_1
22
Cup and Rings
cup_and_ring_1 cup_and_ring_3 cup_and_ring_5 cup_and_ring_2
7 1 1 4
Groove
groove_8
7
Other carvings and motifs
other_motif_4 other_motif_5
1 1

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

  • Right to Roam access.

D2. Awareness

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

D3. Risk

Natural
  • Large areas of the rock are covered in lichen, moss or algae.
  • There are trees nearby whose roots might disturb the rock.
Animal
Human
  • There is graffiti (paintings and/or carving) on or near the rock.
  • There are quarries nearby.
  • The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.
Comments and other potential threats

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