Ilkley Moor – Badger Stone

Summary: The Badger Stone on Ilkley Moor is a significant prehistoric rock art site, featuring over 110 figures including 95 Cup motifs.

  • Site type: Rock engraving
  • Number of motifs: 115
  • Motif/s: Cupmarks, Cup-and-Ring, Lines
  • Quality: 4.5/5
  • Condition of site: Good
  • View site sketch
  • Year first recorded: 1879
  • K.S.J. Boughey and E.A. Vickerman, Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding (2003)
  • J. Romilly Allen, “The Prehistoric Rock Sculptures of Ilkley” in Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Volume 35 (1879)
  • John Hedges, The Carved Rocks on Rombald’s Moor (1986)

Probably the most impressive of the rock art sites on Ilkley Moor, the Badger Stone stands over a metre high and about 3 metres in length. It lies along a prehistoric track or trade route referred to by local archaeologist Eric Cowling as “Rombald’s Way”, after the legendary giant Rombald. (OS Grid Reference SE 11074 46049 / 53.910512, -1.83291).

Badger Stone

The Badger Stone has an estimated 95 Cup motifs as well as ten rings, interlinking grooves and gutters (and at the eastern end a design that could represent an unfinished swastika – this may be a much later addition).

IMG 9497 LR Ilkley Moor - Badger Stone

The Badger Stone was first documented by J. Romilly Allen in 1879:

“This stone…is a block of gritstone 12ft long by 7ft 6in broad, by 4ft high. The largest face slopes at an angle of about 40° to the horizon, and on it are carved nearly fifty cups, sixteen of which are surrounded with single concentric rings. At the west end of the stone are a group, three cups with double rings and radial grooves. At the other end, near the top, is a curious pattern formed of double grooves, and somewhat resembling the “swastika” emblem… At the highest part of the stone is a rock basin 8in deep and 9in wide. On the vertical end of the stone are five cut cups, three of which have single rings. This is one of the few instances of cup and ring marks occurring on a vertical face of rock.”

J. Romilly Allen
IMG 9513 LR Ilkley Moor - Badger Stone
IMG 9514 LR Ilkley Moor - Badger Stone

Many of the other of the carved rocks of Ilkley Moor are visible from the Badger Stone including the Weary Stone, Willy Hall’s Wood and the prominent Neb Stone.

The Badger Stone is also known as:

  • Rombalds Moor 88
  • Boughey & Vickerman (250) / PRAWR 250
  • SAM 25367
  • PRN181

Getting to the Badger Stone

A number of trails converge on the Badger Stone; the most straightforward route is via Keighley Road from Ilkley. From the carpark continue up the gravel 4WD road on foot for about 500m, before turning left (east) onto a walking path that heads across the moor and continuing along this for about 600m. A wooden bench is next to the tall Badger Stone. The Ilkley Moor loop hike passes this site and a number of others on the moor.

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