Rock Art Database

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Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Classifications And Periods

County

BUTESHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

B2. Current land use & vegetation

• Wood/Forest

B3. Forestry

• Mature

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

• Other rock art
• Burial Mound/Cairn

Other: Cup marked rock

B5. Location Notes

This cup marked panel is a former capstone lying across a turf and stone dyke at the eastern end of the much disturbed Neolithic chambered long cairn of Cairn Ban in the north eastern corner of South Lenihuline Wood, which comprises mature mixed woodland. A footpath leads downhill from the cairn towards the track running NW along the shore from the parking area at Glecknabae to Kilmichael. Two fragments have broken off the capstone and these were removed for safe-keeping to Bute Museum in Rothesay some years ago (accession nos. A18-0480A+B).

Previous Notes

A chambered long cairn, almost completely overgrown, but generally as described in the previous information. The western chamber, which measures 1.5m by 1.0m with a height of 1.0m, is intact with its capstone still in place. The lateral chamber measures 1.4m by 0.8m and is 0.7m high. Its capstone lies just to the south. The chamber at the east end is partially obscured by a modern field wall, but appears to have measured 1.5m by 0.7m with a height of 0.8m. No remains of a facade can be recognised. There is a short length of modern trench running E-W along the middle of the cairn but there is no suggestion of any additional chamber. The name Cairn Ban was confirmed locally. Surveyed at 1/10,000. Visited by OS (BS) 20 October 1976

Carnbaan: This Clyde-type long cairn is situated at 300ft OD, on a sloping hillside. It lies E-W across the contour. Before 1820, a stone and turf wall with a ditch on the NE side was built across the NE end, destroying any features NE of it. From the wall, the cairn is 173ft long; the width is about 30ft, but may really be greater as a considerable quantity of leaf mould covers the real edges. The cairn is made of rounded boulders, free of soil, 4ft high; it has been much robbed and disturbed. An amount of greatly disturbed cairn material stretches for 19ft in front of the wall; a mid-19th century account describes this cairn as extending 25ft in front of the wall. A stone, over 5ft long set on edge in this area may well be part of a frontal facade. There has been a chamber at each end of the cairn aligned along its main axis, and at least one lateral chamber on the SE side. Blain (1880) seems to imply that there were formerly more lateral chambers, but two later attempts to find them have failed (T H Bryce 1904; J Mackinlay 1862). However, at 62ft from the wall, there appears to be the remains of a trench running E-W across the cairn, which is more disturbed here, with various slabs lying about, as well as one which seems to be earthfast, all of which suggests the former presence of a chamber. A S Henshall 1972; J K Hewison 1893

Lenihuline, Cup Marks, NS 006 693: 15 cup marks on lintel stone which has collapsed over the chamber of the Neolithic burial cairn (Henshall BUT 3). D Bodys DES 1986 p26. Kilmichael, Cairn Baan, Capstone of Cist, NS 00668 69333: A minimum of 12 cups, one cut at lower edge suggesting the lintel has been reused. Jessica Herriot 2009. This chambered cairn, which is situated in a clearing in woodland, appears to be as described by the previous authorities. It was heavily overgrown on the date of visit. Visited by RCAHMS (ARG, IP) 19 March 2009.

Measured drawings of fragments of the cup marked stone slab, held at Bute museum.

NS06NW 7 00632 69316. (NS 0063 6930) Cairn Ban (NR) OS 6" map (1957) Carnbaan: This Clyde-type long cairn is situated at 300ft OD, on a sloping hillside. It lies E-W across the contour. Before 1820, a stone and turf wall with a ditch on the NE side was built across the NE end, destroying any features NE of it. From the wall, the cairn is 173ft long; the width is about 30ft, but may really be greater as a considerable quantity of leaf mould covers the real edges. The cairn is made of rounded boulders, free of soil, 4ft high; it has been much robbed and disturbed. An amount of greatly disturbed cairn material stretches for 19ft in front of the wall; a mid-19th century account describes this cairn as extending 25ft in front of the wall. A stone, over 5ft long set on edge in this area may well be part of a frontal facade. There has been a chamber at each end of the cairn aligned along its main axis, and at least one lateral chamber on the SE side. Blain (1880) seems to imply that there were formerly more lateral chambers, but two later attempts to find them have failed (T H Bryce 1904; J Mackinlay 1862). However, at 62ft from the wall, there appears to be the remains of a trench running E-W across the cairn, which is more disturbed here, with various slabs lying about, as well as one which seems to be earthfast, all of which suggests the former presence of a chamber. A S Henshall 1972; J K Hewison 1893 A chambered long cairn, almost completely overgrown, but generally as described in the previous information. The western chamber, which measures 1.5m by 1.0m with a height of 1.0m, is intact with its capstone still in place. The lateral chamber measures 1.4m by 0.8m and is 0.7m high. Its capstone lies just to the south. The chamber at the east end is partially obscured by a modern field wall, but appears to have measured 1.5m by 0.7m with a height of 0.8m. No remains of a facade can be recognised. There is a short length of modern trench running E-W along the middle of the cairn but there is no suggestion of any additional chamber. The name Cairn Ban was confirmed locally. Surveyed at 1/10,000. Visited by OS (BS) 20 October 1976 Lenihuline, Cup Marks, NS 006 693: 15 cup marks on lintel stone which has collapsed over the chamber of the Neolithic burial cairn (Henshall BUT 3). D Bodys DES 1986 p26. Kilmichael, Cairn Baan, Capstone of Cist, NS 00668 69333: A minimum of 12 cups, one cut at lower edge suggesting the lintel has been reused. Jessica Herriot, Balmory Cottage, Ascog, 2009. This chambered cairn, which is situated in a clearing in woodland, appears to be as described by the previous authorities. It was heavily overgrown on the date of visit. Visited by RCAHMS (ARG, IP) 19 March 2009.

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

C3. Rock Surface

C4. Surface Features

• Fissures/cracks

C5. Panel Notes

The panel is a former cist cover, toppled over and lying at an angle of about 50 degrees. It measures 2.5m x 0.7m with a thickness of 0.2m. There are 10 cup marks on the W edge of the panel, one of which has been cut through the middle. Two further fragments known to have been part of this panel were removed to Bute Museum in Rothesay some years ago: accession no. A18-0480A, the larger of the two fragments, has 4 complete cup marks and 3 partial cup marks (on the edges); accession no. A18-0480B, the smaller fragment, has 1 shallow complete cup mark and 4 partial cupmarks (on edges).

C6. Probability

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

Comments

Fragment A: 4 cup marks & 3 partial. Fragment B: 1 shallow cup mark & 4 partial on edges.

C7. MOTIFS

Visible Tool Marks? Yes

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

• Right to Roam access.
• Panel is on Private land.

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 Yes

D3. Risk

Natural

• Large areas of the rock are covered in lichen, moss or algae.

Animal

• There are sheep near the rock.

Human

• The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.

Comments and other potential threats

Fragments A & B in safe keeping at Bute Museum after breaking off panel.