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| *****SWAAG_ID***** | 789 |
| Date Entered | 24/03/2014 |
| Updated on | 24/03/2014 |
| Recorded by | Tim Laurie |
| Category | Rock Art |
| Record Type | Archaeology |
| Site Access | Public |
| Record Date | 23/03/2014 |
| Location | Barnard Castle.The Bowes Museum Grounds |
| Civil Parish | Barnard Castle |
| Brit. National Grid | NZ 056 163 |
| Altitude | 160m |
| Geology | Out of context. N/A |
| Record Name | The Greta Bridge cist cover decorated in the cup and ring tradition. |
| Record Description | This interesting slab of sandstone was located some 400m east of Greta Bridge during widening of the A66 road. It was stated to have formed the cover to a Roman grave. I have not seen any formal report on the circumstances of the excavation of this slab which had originally formed the cover slab to a stone cist grave of late Neolithic or early Bronze Age date, and reused for a Roman burial some 2000 years later.
Sandstone slabs similar to this have been recognised elsewhere in Teesdale, for example the very fine Gainford Stone located during excavations for a sewer or water main at Gainford, also on display at the Bowes Museum. This fine cist cover is decorated with cup and rings on one face and with simple cups and grooves on the other face, similar to this Greta Bridge stone. It is possible that the Greta Bridge stone is also decorated on both faces.
See Beckensall and Laurie, 1998. 'The Prehistoric Rock Art of County Durham, Swaledale and Wensleydale for details of this and of two other cist covers with similar cup and ring decoration from Mid Teesdale, namely the Gainford Stone and a fine cist cover slab which survives at the edge of a fenced plantation on the northern side of Thorsgill near Egglestone Abbey. |
| Dimensions | See photos |
| Image 1 ID | 5260 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 1 Description | The Greta Bridge stone is now in the grounds of the Bowes Museum. |  |
| Image 2 ID | 5257 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 2 Description | Careful examination will reveal the presence of small chevron markings with small cups, close to the edge of the cist slab (in shadow on these photos) |  |
| Image 3 ID | 5258 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 3 Description | |  |
| Image 4 ID | 5259 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 4 Description | |  |
