Glasvaar 7

NM 885 019. This group of cup-and-ring markings lies on a whale-backed outcrop immediately W of the track that leads NE from Glasvaar farm-steading and 22m S of a forestry plantation (Morris 1977; Petzsch 1972; Campbell 1981). The outcrop has two decorated surfaces, one on the crest of the ridge and the other on a terrace to the E.

On the crest there are the weathered remains of seven cups with single rings, forty plain cups, three cups with gutters, and a later knocking-stone basin. The decoration on the lower surface is more complex and is largely unweathered as it is normally covered with turf (Kahane 1982). The principal feature is a cup and single ring with seven partial rings on the E; it is accompanied by a series of cups, some surrounded by single or double rings, others grouped within rings, and a number of plain cups and channels.

Visited May 1984

RCAHMS 1988

Date Fieldwork Started: 02/08/2018

Compiled by: Parallel Grooves

Location Notes: Glasvaar 7 is located on a small hillock which runs NE-SW in an area of undulating terrain approximately 1km NW of Glasvaar farmhouse. Limited views of hilltops can be seen to the W and a wider view of the opposite side of the valley is seen to the SE. The panel is located 10m to the W of the farm track, and approximately 15 m S of a junction between a post-and-wire fence and a stone field wall, close to a gate opening onto a track through the nearby forestry plantation. A group of 3 large deciduous trees are located approximately 50 m to the SW of the panel, in an area where there are the low turf-covered remains of several structures including a possible corn-drying kiln. Glasvaar 8 and 9 are located approximately 60 m S of Glasvaar 7, to the E of the farm track and stone wall.

Panel Notes: Glasvaar 7 is a large (5.4 x 2.3 m) outcropping ridge of rock in two sections: a rounded upper ridge and a lower platform adjacent to its SE. The entire panel measures 5.4 m by 2.3 m, with a maximum height of 1.4 m above the surrounding land. The upper section is oriented to the NNE at an incline of 13 degrees, while the lower section faces WSW at an incline of 12 degrees. The lower section was obscured by vegetation. The rock is fine-grained and is friable in some areas, which may accelerate erosion to motifs. Natural visible features include quartz veins, coloured bands, fissures/cracks, natural hollows, weathering channels, bedding planes. A significant part of the panel is turf-covered, and the lower platform is entirely hidden by turf. Both sections are heavily decorated with complex motifs, and comprise at least 81 single cupmarks (2 of which may be ringed), nine cups with rings, one cup with a ring and radial groove, three dumbells, three sets of conjoined cups and rings, and a cartouche. The panel also bears a conglomeration of six cups surrounded by a complex groove, and a cup with one ring and 7 partial rings. The panel also bears a large, rounded basin in its upper section which may or may not be prehistoric. Rock type identified using online information from the British Geological Survey.