Re: New Rock Art Discoveries, north of Ilkley | Forum

Paulus Apr 13, 2005 09:49:14

Replying to Kozmik_Ken

< Did you spot the carvings on Foldshaw Ridge? >

Yeah...Richard Stroud & I have been frobbling about and have checked just about everyone of those which have been catalogued (I think Richard's only got 1 or 2 to go). Many of 'em remind me of the ones around Baildon Hill.

One thing which has been bugging me though, has been the distinct lack of a real decent settlement in the area. We've got rock art and a few cairns all over the place, but as yet no decent neolithic village to account for it all. I wondered whether the 'enclosure' we found last week was gonna be what I've been looking for, but don't think it accounts for the excess of remains. There's the large settlement found by Cowling at Crow Well more than a mile to the east, but one of those 'gut feelings' tells me there's summat missing... there's summat else up here.

...And yeah, we'll have to meet up sometime...

Rockrich Apr 13, 2005 15:24:37

Replying to Paulus

Paul, I've finally taken the plunge & registered 'ere. To the N of this walling you found last week theres 1or2 cairns & a few cup marked rocks. Next visit up Middleton (pending approval from the landowner of course :-) ) I'll have to show you the other enclosure that lies to the E, theres also a few cup marked rocks & some old walling forming a 'V' shape.

Kozmik_Ken Apr 14, 2005 08:51:24

Replying to Paulus

>One thing which has been bugging me though, has been the distinct lack of a real decent
>settlement in the area.

I've wondered for a while if the 'settlement' enclosures on Ilkley Moor, were in fact domestic areas at all... or at least in part. All of the enclosures are scattered with rock art... Backstone Beck, Green Crag, the walling around the Idol Stone, Woofa Bank etc. I think I sent you a copy of Gavin Edwards' excavation report on Backstone Beck, where he states that occupation debris was conspicuous in it's absence... apart from a few bits of broken pottery around the three decorated boulders. Also that few footprints for dwellings.... also that the wall was probably never more than about a yard high and there was no evidence for it having being topped by a fence.

It all kinda makes me think that maybe the enclosures had more of a 'ritual' puropse than for occupation... Woofa Bank feels very much like that too. Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that the main occupation areas were on the lower slopes above what is now Ilkley.