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Rock Art Database

TORDARROCH 1

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Canmore ID 13196 SCRAP ID 2582
Location OS Grid Ref: NH 67909 33630 Team Not in team
Existing Classifications
Classification Period
CUP MARKED STONE PREHISTORIC
Date Fieldwork Started 22/11/2018 Date Fieldwork Completed
New Panel? No  

Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Panel Name TORDARROCH Number 1
Other names
HER/SMR MHG3562
 SM Number SM11558 Other
Classifications And Periods
Classification 1 Cup Marked Rock Period 1 Neol/bronze Age
County
INVERNESS-SHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

OS NGR NH 67900 33630
New OS NGR NH 67909 33630
Lat/Long 57.37389 -4.19829
Obtained By: Mobile Phone

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.) Flat
Aspect of slope (if on sloping terrain e.g. S, SE etc.)

B2. Current land use & vegetation

  • Improved Pasture

B3. Forestry

  • No selection

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

  • Other rock art
  • Burial Mound/Cairn

B5. Location Notes

The panel is the main outcrop at the top of rounded grassy knoll, surrounded by scattered boulders. It has open views along Strath Nairn to the NE, and more restricted views due to gently sloping higher ground to the SW. The river Nairn meanders along the valley floor about 150m to the NW. The panel is about 70m SW of a modern agricultural shed and about 70m NE of a major power line. The information for SM11558 mentions a second panel about 11m E, not recorded in Canmore and yet to be located. Tordarroch Cairn (Canmore 13211, ScRAP 1329) includes a cup marked panel and is about 200m to the SE on lower ground.

Previous Notes

NH63SE 16 6790 3363 A block of grey gneiss bearing fifty-eight cup marks some with connecting or radiating grooves, was discovered by Mr. Hugh Ross, teacher at Farr Public School. The stone lies flat, partly imbedded, in a knoll about 150 yards north of Tordarroch stone circle (NH63SE 3) and close to the footpath to Tordarroch Forest. W Jolly 1882. The stone described above was located on top of a knoll at NH 6790 3363. The stone measures 1.7m x 1.7m and is exposed to a height of 0.6m. on the west side. Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (W D J) 10 October 1963. This stone, in an improved field, measures 1.5m square and 0.5m in height. On its surface there are four cups measuring up to 100mm in diameter and 25mm in depth. Numerous other surface irregularities may be of natural origin. Visited by RCAHMS (SDB) 5 November 1992. Scheduled as 'Tordarroch, cupmarks 220m NE of'. Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 29 August 2007.

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) 2.5 Width 2.2
Height (max) 0.6 Height (min) 0
Approximate slope of carved surface
20 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

  • Fissures/cracks
  • Smooth Surface

C5. Panel Notes

The panel is a low outcrop, rectangular and 2.5m x 2.2m, with almost vertical edges 0.4 to 0.6m high on the N and W edges, and sloping gently to the S under the turf to the S and E. It is a medium to coarse grained gneiss, with visible inclusions of quartz. There are 31 simple cups, 8 along or near to the N edge, the others in scattered groups. Five of the cups near the centre of the panel are slightly larger and deeper than the others.

C6. Probability

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

Comments

No comments added

C7. MOTIFS

Cupmark
cupmark_1
31

Visible Tool Marks? No

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 No

D3. Risk

Natural
  • Water will pool deeply on parts of the surface.
Animal
  • There are sheep near the rock.
  • There are cattle near the rock.
Human
  • No selection
Comments and other potential threats

No comments added