The small English town of Royston is located just sixty kilometers from London. An unremarkable village in the spirit of good old England. There are no special attractions. Perhaps the hunting lodge of King James I. And even then not in Royston itself, but nearby. Why do fans of historical tourism and mysterious places come here? The thing is that back in 1742, under the foundations of one of the houses on Melbourne Street …
Anything interesting is usually found by chance. In any case, this is how it is always voiced in the official versions. They decided to renovate the house, or rather, to attach a base for a market counter to it. Fairs were often held in the city. All this required the reconstruction of the building's foundation. This led to the discovery of the previously thorough hidden entrance to the tunnel, which goes deep into the interior. Since the hole was clearly too narrow for an adult man, a boy was allowed to go forward. He was lowered on a rope, supplied with a torch. When he returned, he said that he had found a cave, and that he had endured fear when he found bones and demonic writings in it. And that, they say, good Christians should not go there at all, because there clearly smacks of uncleanness.
George Lettis and William Lilly, a tailor and merchant who lived in this house and discovered this move, did not believe the boy, deciding that he simply wanted to hide the discovery of the treasure, which undoubtedly was there.
It took some time to widen the entrance and clear the tunnel. When, finally, the work was completed, an amazing picture appeared before the eyes of the surprised treasure hunters. A spacious room was opened for them. The cave, walls and floor were densely painted with symbols and images. But to their great disappointment, they never found the treasure. There were bones, but the cherished chest was missing. It would seem that the story of the discovery should have ended there. The entrance to the tunnel was tightly closed and they did not advertise what had happened. But no, and here it all went wrong. The rumor of a mysterious cave still leaked out. Maybe the boy blabbed out, or maybe this house was under someone's vigilant surveillance. If there was a secret, it means that someone had to guard it …
The case got an unexpected continuation. Someone Thomas Watson, a bricklayer who lived in the house opposite, decided to get to the bottom of the secret on his own. Moreover, to get to the bottom in the literal sense. From the basement of his own house, he dug an underground passage (22 m!), Leading straight into the cave. By the way, tourists still use this route. Whether Thomas found something else there, alas, is unknown … It was the 18th century in the yard and archeology was still in its infancy. The theme of the Templars, although it was already heard, thanks to the Freemasons, but only among the initiates. Therefore, of course, no scientific research of the find (in the modern sense of the word) has been carried out …
We have returned to this already in our time. I will try to voice some of the main versions. But first take a look …
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Who first came up with the idea to associate all this with the Templars is already difficult to establish. In my opinion, this someone was an obvious admirer of the work of Umberto Eco. But the version takes place. And as arguments are put forward the assertion that one of the frescoes depicts Jacques de Molay, the last master of the Templars, burned at the stake in 1314. There is indeed an image of a man in the cave, whose head is crowned with a characteristic cap, which was worn by heretics before being burned. But the beard is missing from the image. And as you know from the Charter of the Order, the Templars were forbidden to shave it. However, one of the supporters of this version, Peter Huldcroft, from the local, Royston Historical Society, claims that there is no contradiction in this either, because everyone who was sentenced was shaved off before being burned.
In favor of the Templar version, the image of a woman with a crown on her head, holding a wheel with eight spokes is also advanced. It is seen as St. Catherine, allegedly especially revered in the order. But the patroness of the order was not she, but the Virgin Mary. And it’s just on the frescoes and not …
More realistic in her guesses is Sylvia Beaumont, a local historian and enthusiast. She suggests that the Knights Templar used this cave as a cold store for food items. It is quite possible, because, firstly, weekly fairs were held in Royston, and secondly, the house with this basement was in the immediate vicinity of the venue. She even indicates the period when the Templars could do this - approximately between 1199 and 1254. A good version, but … In this case, it requires an explanation of why it was necessary to paint the walls with such incomprehensible drawings? In addition, as it turned out, they were previously painted in colors. Too chic for an ordinary warehouse.
Of course, there was also a version about another secret refuge of the Templars, to which they retired after the official dissolution of the order in 1312. The theme of the Order's survival in the face of repression, of course, deserves attention, and I am sure it has a real basis. We don't know much, but the very fact of the disappearance of the Central Templar Archive speaks for itself. But in the case of Royston, this is clearly not the case. But one thing is clear with him, and in this all researchers agree - the images and frescoes really have a medieval origin and roughly date back to the times of the Templars …
In my opinion, maybe the Templars of England, temporarily hiding in Royston, thus captured on the walls of the cave a kind of chronicle of their order … and the events that overtook them so suddenly?
Anokhin Vadim