The Royston Cave
The
Royston cave is a small but absorbingly interesting
artificial cave in Royston in Hertfordshire, England. It was
almost certainly used by the Knights Templar, who are also
thought to have founded nearby Baldock. It is open to the
public in the summer months.
Above: Plate I from Joseph Beldam's book The Origins and Use of the Royston Cave, 1884.
Royston Cave is a circular, bell-shaped chamber 8 metres
(26 feet) high and 5 metres (17 feet) in diameter with a
circumferential octagonal podium. The origin of this chamber
is unknown. This cave is unique in Britain - if not the
world - for its numerous medieval carvings on the walls.
They are mostly of pagan origin, but some of the figures are
thought to be those of St. Catherine, St. Lawrence and St.
Christopher.
Above: Plate II from
Joseph Beldam's book The Origins and Use of the Royston Cave, 1884.
It is speculated that it may have been used by the
Knights Templar before their Proscription by Pope Clement V
in the 1312. The sect held a weekly market at Royston
between 1199 and 1254 and travelled there from their
headquarters at Baldock, some 15 Kilometres to the
southwest. They would have required a cool store for their
produce and a chapel for their devotions, and a theory
speculates that the cave was divided into two floors by a
wooden floor. Two figures close together near the damaged
section may be all that remains of a known Templar sign, two
knights riding the same horse.
Above: Plate III from
Joseph Beldam's book The Origins and Use of the Royston Cave, 1884.
Although the origin of the cave is unknown, the story of
the rediscovery is very well known. In August 1742 a workman
dug a hole in the Butter Market in order to get decent
footings for a new bench for the patrons and traders. He
discovered a buried millstone and dug around the curious
stone to get the object out of the way. So he found a shaft
leading downwards into the chalk.
At the discovery the cavity was more than half-filled
with earth. The rumour was, that there must be a treasure
buried beneath the soil inside the cave. Several cartloads
of soil were removed, until bedrock was reached. The soil
was discarded as worthless, it did not contain anything more
than a few old bones and fragments of pottery. This is
rather unfortunate, as today's archaeology could be able to
solve some of the secrets of this place!
The location of the cave is also very interesting:
Melbourn Street, once called Icknield Way or Via Icenia, was
first used during the Iron Age, possibly 2000 years ago by
an ancient tribe of Celts called the Iceni. The most famous
Iceni was Queen Boudicca (died 60 AD). At a later date the
Icknield way was Romanised by Caesar. It runs from near
Falmouth towards East Anglia. - the modern day A505 between
Royston and Baldock, follows the route of the Icknield way,
until it meets the Royston Bypass.
Today the entrance is not by the original opening, but by
a passage dug in 1790 and it is still possible to appreciate
the sculptures which are almost as good today as when they
were completed, possibly 800 years ago.
It is thought that the sculptures were originally
coloured, but little trace of this is visible now. For the
most part they represent scenes of religious significance,
amongst them the Crucifixion and various saints. St Lawrence
is depicted holding the grid iron on which he was martyred.
A crowned figure holding a wheel is thought to be St
Catherine and large figure with a staff and a child on his
shoulder represents St Christopher. A figure with a drawn
sword is thought to be St Michael or possibly St George.
Another possibly religious symbol is the depiction of a
naked woman known as a Sheela Na Gig. This figure is
normally found on 11th-13th century churches so its
inclusion with religious symbolism is not out of place.
The fact that these sculptures are of uncertain antiquity
adds to their interest and offers visitors a chance to
speculate on their origins. There are number holes,
sometimes directly beneath the sculptures, which were
thought to hold candles or lamps which would have
illuminated the carvings.
Some theories suggest the cave may originally have been a
Neolithic flint mine.
Articles
Books
Booklets, Pamphlets
- A Pictorial Guide to the Royston Cave, 1998. Peter T Houldcroft FEng. Published by Royston and District
History Society.
- The Medieval Structure Within Royston Cave, Peter T Houldcroft FEng. Published by Royston and District
History Society.
- An Investigation of Royston Cave, Sylvia Beamon and Lisa G Donel. Camb. Antiq. 68, 1978. Available from
http://www.heritageweb.com.
Photographs and Pictures
Some of the above is from Wikipedia |
