A remarkable network of caverns discovered in what looked to be a rabbit hole in a farmer’s field in Shropshire, England, is still a source of contention among the local community. Their function, as well as the precise date of construction, remain unknown.
Many people think they were excavated during the 17th century by disciples of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, better generally known as the Knights Templar, as a secret meeting spot.
This historically fascinating Catholic military order was formed in 1119 and quickly became wealthy and powerful. Part of the intrigue surrounding the secretive medieval Templars is their persecution and rapid dissolution by Pope Clement V in the early 1300s.
Another theory holds that the Caynton Caves were built as a Victorian folly by a wealthy landowner in 1850.
A folly is just a building that serves no function – yet this does not indicate that it was built by accident, as the term implies.
In the 18th century, the folly “craze” in Britain originated as a means to be fun or artistically artistic with a modest building, such as a shelter alongside a beautiful lake, as a type of lovely architectural jest. Follies were a popular means to flaunt riches and position in Victorian Britain.
In the 18th century, the folly “craze” in Britain originated as a means to be fun or artistically artistic with a modest building, such as a shelter alongside a beautiful lake, as a type of lovely architectural jest. Follies were a popular means to flaunt riches and position in Victorian Britain.
The Caynton Caves are situated on private land in Shifnal, a market town. They are cut into the sandstone bedrock barely three feet below ground and contain many rooms as well as what is thought to be a font. There are several candle niches to illuminate the passages.
Historic England, the public organisation responsible for protecting and preserving England’s historic environment, classifies the location at U.K. National Grid Reference SJ7756102887 as a “Cave/grotto.” Probably late 18th or early 19th century, but undatable.”
However, the listing does mention neo-Norman architectural characteristics. This was a late-19th to early-20th century Romanesque Revival style, which may lend credence to the theory that the caverns were built as an elegant Victorian grotto. Or were these characteristics chiseled out two centuries after the caverns were initially formed?
Perhaps both perspectives are correct: perhaps the caverns were chiseled out in the 17th century, and the landowner merely found and utilized an ancient and abandoned area. This is one alternative that does not appear to be under consideration.
There have been no responses to the question of how, five hundred years after the order was abolished, a Knights Templar group might be associated with the local region.
Members of this order were armed knights with great privileges in the Catholic Church, making them powerful and well-respected. Much of their renown stemmed from the Crusades, during which the Templars were regarded as among the most proficient fighters.
The famous white mantle (or knight’s cloak), their “uniform,” was to be worn at all times. It was emblazoned with a scarlet cross, a sign of martyrdom; dying in the battlefield was a great honor.
By the mid-12th century, schisms between the Christian factions were getting progressively more contentious. When the Muslim armies headed by Sultan Salah ad-Din retook Jerusalem from the Christian army of the First Crusade in 1187, it signified the beginning of the end for the Knights Templar.
It would take just over a century for the Templars to fall from being dominant in politics and collectively — individual knights were pledged to poverty, similar to monks — among the most powerful landowners, merchants, and creditors throughout Christendom. However, their fall from grace, from such respected heights to such purportedly debauched lows, did not harm their image in the long run.
The order’s secrecy and reports of forced confessions of knights tortured by the Inquisition have endowed the Templars with a romantic image of valor and battling for the greater good despite all circumstances. It’s no surprise that people want to connect with them.
Since the late nineteenth century, the name of the order has been affiliated with various current temperance groups as well as Freemasonry.
Although there are two Templar crosses engraved on the interior of the caverns, they are overshadowed by a slew of more modern writings. The Caynton Caves have become popular among 21st-century pagans and Druids, particularly for solstice and Halloween ceremonies. However, it was the usage of the caverns by satanic cults, who engraved their symbols all over the walls, that caused the landowner to close them off in 2012. Unfortunately, various parties appear unable to resist the allure of this secret grotto, and trespassers continue to break in on a regular basis.
In January 2017, the BBC aired an interview with Michael Scott, who was captivated by an internet video of the caverns and wanted to go there, explore the location, and take some images. When asked to describe his experience and perceptions of the caverns in a few words, he stated, “I traipsed through a field to locate it, but if you didn’t know it was there, you’d just stroll right past it.”
“Considering how long it’s been there, it’s in fantastic shape… It was pouring, so the slope down was muddy, but the cave was bone dry.”
Related Article: The Knights Templar’s Modern-Day Revival – A New Order with an Old Mission
The Shropshire Star, a local newspaper, believes the caverns originate from the Victorian era and denies any connection to the Templars:
“This is an underground folly carved out of sandstone like a temple.” It is uncertain when or why it was erected, although it was most likely built as a folly in the mid-nineteenth century when it was deemed popular. The proprietors used to allow the public to examine the temple, but visitors’ rude behavior forced them to close the entry in 2012.”