“Horseshoe” carving on the cupmarked stone at Fyfield Down...
Image credit: Graham Orriss
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Southern cup marks by night, to this geordie’s delight.
Image credit: IH
Taken at night with a wavy handlamp
Image credit: IH
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Imo all the markings are natural, for what it’s worth.
Sorry.
Cheers for posting this one Mr Paulus. It’s much appreciated as the presence of RA not only this far south, but in the area of all the Avebury stuff is very interesting.
The cups themselves are very smoothed out, and fit the bill from the drawing. The horseshoe is very evident, as is the ‘slug’ mark, possibly a half-finished groove from one of the cups near the horseshoe. There are also some angular, yet serpentine (?) grooves at turf level on the south side of the stone. These look like they might be enhanced natural marks in places.
Thy were easy to find, as the result of a very well informed guide, who knew of it in advance, and accompanied myself and diverse others, right to the stone.
It’s in a section of the IA field system adjacent to that containing the pollisoir. If you find the polisher, look to the east, just beyond the first of the old field boundaries, where the land starts to rise again.
To my mind, the most remarkable thing about these marks was the fact that they’re on Sarsen. It’s bloody hard, and would take some pecking even with modern metal tools, let alone another bit of sarsen. Much discussion ensued regarding the techinique used, and what they might mean. There may be more in the area, and it’s unsure if this one is in situ, or has been shifted during the construction of the field system. Fyfield cup spotters should note that as the local sarsen has so many natural holes, it’s not a straight forward business, for example, there’s a stone to the SE that has a lovely natural bullaun-type basin. Others have possible small horseshoe motifs.
Details of site on Pastscape
Possible cup markings identified on a sarsen in Delling Penning. The stone “is situated within an old field and a few feet from the edge of a baulk running downhill from north west to south east, between the south western corner of Totterdown Wood and Delling Cottage”.
SU 135715: Twenty well-preserved cup-markings on the south east slope of a recumbent sarsen stone in Delling Penning. The stone is situated within an old field and a few feet from the edge of a baulk running downhill from north west to south east, between the south western corner of Totterdown Wood and Delling Cottage. (1) The sarsen is at SU 13437152 and is as described by Lacaille. The markings are not easily distinguished, and are of uncertain origin, though they cannot easily be dismissed as natural. Photograph not practicable. (2) Scheduled, National Number 33951. (3)
