Rock Carvings on the North York Moors
Dimmingdale Farm - Moorsholm
During the mid 1970's a large cup marked boulder was discovered
on the edge of a burial mound at Dimmingdale Farm, Moorsholm.
Ploughing and clearance around the mound had exposed the boulder (probably
a kerbstone) on the southern side of the mound, where it stood on edge
with the cup marked face outwards.
Soon after its discovery the stone was reported as 'missing', having been
removed from the site and its location unknown. This was the situation for
the next 25 years until Paul Brown visited the site in 2003 and found the stone on
the hill side above Haw Beck, 400m to the southeast of the burial mound.
Although the carvings are weathered, there are
still pick marks visible in the cups and in the rectangular hollow,
indicating
that the stone has been in a sheltered position. The boulder has 50 cup
marks, 8 of them linked by a channel which also connects to the rectangular
shaped hollow. This hollow appear to have the remains of cup marks in each
corner suggesting it may have been created by linking a group of cups and
chipping away the stone in between. There may be parallels with two carved
stones on Howedale Moor (Fylingdales) where there is a pecked rectangular
hollow on a stone and another example where 4 cup marks have been linked
by a channel to form a rectangle.
The other interesting feature of this site is its proximity to the
visually striking mound of Freebrough Hill. This is a natural
hillock which dominates the local landscape and must have been a factor in
placing the burial mound just 500m to the south of this imposing hill.
(See the Moorsholm Rigg site as well).
Due to the shape of the hill resembling a giant burial
mound it may have been regarded as an archetypal Holy hill or Hill of the
dead - a resting place for the spirits of ancestors.
It is interesting to note that a Legend connects the hill with King
Arthur, who is said to sleep within the mound awaiting a time when he will
be needed again to defend the Isles of Britain.
Freebrough Hill viewed from the burial mound
