In search of prehistoric rock art

What a dreich morning.

Low cloud meant it was a day not conducive for photography, so I went to look for some prehistoric rock art on Garfit Gap.

Garfit Gap is the col between the Wainstones and Cold Moor and contains many boulders on which with rock art has been identified¹Brown, Paul M. & Graeme Chappell. “Prehistoric Rock Art in the North York Moors”. 2005. Pages 132-138.Tempus Publishing Limited ISBN 0 7524 3348 2 2005..

Now I’ve looked for rock art many times before, both here at Garfit Gap and at other sites. All without success unless it has been pointed out by someone else.

So I had a look at a “cup and ring marked” boulder on the boundary between the moor and the forestry²Ibid. Pages 134.³North York Moors Historic Environment Record (HER) 4845..

But, alas, without a copy of the drawing of the marks, I was not convinced.

What I find more interesting was some 18th-century graffiti. Carved on the northern side were in initials ‘FF‘ and ‘JC‘ with a date of ‘1772‘.

My imagination went into overdrive. Who were FF and JC? Shepherds? Dry-stone wallers? Early tourists?

What they probably weren’t, were jet miners. This trade didn’t take off until Queen Victoria began wearing jet jewellery after the death of prince Albert in 1861.

1772 was the year Cook set out from Plymouth on HMS Resolution on his second Pacific voyage⁴Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Second Voyage of James Cook’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_James_Cook> [accessed 30 September 2022]. It was the year when his father sold his cottage in Great Ayton and moved to Redcar⁵Stamp, Tom and Cordelia. “James Cook Maritime Scientist”. Page 62. Caedmon of Whitby Press. Reprinted 1995. ISBN 0 905355 04 0.. It is likely that Cook had visited his father in the village the previous year⁶o’Sullivan, Dan. “Great Ayton: A history of the village”. 1983. page 53. ISBN 0 9508858 0 0..

King George III was on the throne and Lord North was in his third year as his Prime Minister.

Jeremy Paxman said that David Cameron was the worst Prime Minister since Lord North who is remembered as the Prime Minister “who lost America”⁷Jeremy Paxman:  Room 101. S7 E2. 19 January 2018 https://youtu.be/ek3l9iaByro⁸Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Frederick North, Lord North’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_North,_Lord_North#Legacy> [accessed 30 September 2022].

That was back in 2018. Since then there are two more contenders. I wonder who would take that accolade now.

• 1
  Brown, Paul M. & Graeme Chappell. “Prehistoric Rock Art in the North York Moors”. 2005. Pages 132-138.Tempus Publishing Limited ISBN 0 7524 3348 2 2005.
• 2
  Ibid. Pages 134.
• 3
  North York Moors Historic Environment Record (HER) 4845.
• 4
  Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Second Voyage of James Cook’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_James_Cook> [accessed 30 September 2022]
• 5
  Stamp, Tom and Cordelia. “James Cook Maritime Scientist”. Page 62. Caedmon of Whitby Press. Reprinted 1995. ISBN 0 905355 04 0.
• 6
  o’Sullivan, Dan. “Great Ayton: A history of the village”. 1983. page 53. ISBN 0 9508858 0 0.
• 7
  Jeremy Paxman:  Room 101. S7 E2. 19 January 2018 https://youtu.be/ek3l9iaByro
• 8
  Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Frederick North, Lord North’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_North,_Lord_North#Legacy> [accessed 30 September 2022]