Now, I’m well aware that this area is well known as being used for military training during WW2. The area is littered with bullet holes and mortar scars, left behind by training assaults.
However, these marks have a very different look and feel to the obvious bullet holes. Much softer and more weathered out.
I know that anything resembling rock art in this area will be dismissed as the remains of either military activity or quarrying – but maybe, just maybe!
It is notable that the markings are on the side of the rock , not the top . This is not very common and would also be the more likely if a target .
Not very common true, but not unheard of. There are examples of cup marks on vertical faces within Yorkshire.
I came across this rock today and noticed what look like Cup marks all over the side of this rock and fainter marks on the smaller rock next to it. I don't know what a bullet would do to millstone grit but the marks look old and weathered and quite uniform. I didn't come across any other rocks like this and there's literally hundreds. The rock is not far from Carl Wark fort and various prehistoric cairns and standing stones.
Actually on further investigation I found an archaeological report which mentioned that the army used the area for training during ww2 and that some of the rocks are covered in bullet holes. I suspect this rock is one of them
Here's a photo of one of the stones in Park Gate stone circle (which I imagine is a similar type of rock and isn't very far from Burbage). There are two circular depressions; my thinking is that the top one is probably a genuine cup mark (uniformly shaped and very smoothed within) whereas the lower one is a bullet mark (irregularly shaped at the edges and quite jagged and uneven within). I'm not an expert by any means, so happy to be contradicted.
themodernantiquarian.com/post/149090/images/park-gate-stone-circle