Holden Buttock Stone, Silsden, West Yorkshire

Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – SE 0695 4464

Holden Buttock Stone and its faint cups

Getting Here

A bit troublesome this one – and the 8-figure grid-ref might be slightly astray (though only by a little).  Get to the TV-mast below Rivock Edge and notice the small path going along the top of the adjacent field, over the fence, heading north-ish into the meadows — not the path into the forest.  Walk on the meadow path, over the wall and notice a rise in the ground ahead of you.  Go past this mound for about 75 yards and keep your eyes peeled!

Archaeology & History

Close-up of cup-markings

Named by virtue of the shape of the stone, Michala Douglas and I found this carving on an exploratory amble yesterday (Friday, June 12, 2009).  Previously undiscovered, this carving consists merely of cup-markings — three, possibly four of them — on the northeasterly edge of the rock.  The cups have been pretty well-eroded by the elements and there are few distinguishing features which will make this of any real interest, unless you’re a real rock-art freak!

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian