How the cave was found

An unknown tomb
The discovery of the Carsington cave came about in 1998, when the Pegasus Caving Club from Nottingham was on a weekend exploration trip to a little-known cave in Derbyshire. Though the entrance and associated first chamber were known, the club members had a good idea that much of the cave had yet to be discovered. They understood that the compacted rubble floor could easily have hidden further crawlspaces to other chambers. Little did they know they were about to discover a subterranean tomb some 2,000 years old.

The discovery of 'Yoric Chamber'
'We originally came to look at a cave on the other side of the ridge,' says caver Tony Bennett. 'Then we saw the entrance to this one and thought we would have a look at it.' The original five-man crew consisted of Tony, Alan Stean, Andrew Walchester, Malcolm Scothon and Dave Walker. 'We thought by the looks of the cave floor that it would be easy to extend and so over the next few weekends we came back and started to dig away. After a while we came through to "Yoric Chamber".'

Malcolm Scothon takes up the story: 'From the entrance chamber we saw the possibilities for downward progression. We followed what we thought was a natural progression and came to a gravel layer. Andrew knocked a keystone away and actually fell through into a chamber. He had a rummage around and then came out very quickly! He was quite shaken, which gave us a good excuse to go to the pub to discuss his experience. He had come face to face with the skull of a goat with horns and another skull with a stalagmite growing out of it. Myself and Tony went back the next day with cameras and it was then that we realised what we had come across.'

Full excavation begins
After their find the team notified the coroner, police and the county archaeologist before continuing with their exploration. The ensuing excavations were painstaking. 'It was very hard digging,' says Alan, 'first because of the clay in-fill and then the conditions of work. We were digging down a slope, so we had to shore up the sides as we went. Of course after you get to a certain depth the scaffolding isn't resting on anything so you have to shore the sides up again. You basically have to dig and place the spoil behind you each time. With the small number of us doing the dig it just wasn't possible to get the spoil out of the cave. We got to about 80 feet (24 metres) deep, but we still had a solid wall of clay to dig through, so we were nowhere near the end. You just do little bits at a time and eventually you get there.'

Not an average hole in the ground
The cave is obviously quite different from an average hole in the ground so what did the Pegasus club members think of it? 'The cave is very different,' continues Alan. 'Apart from the fact that it's full of remains, lots of the rubble down there is a different stone from the cave itself. It's also not like the miners' spoil from the nearby shafts in the pasture, so there is a theory that the chambers may well have been deliberately sealed at some time to shut them off as a burial chamber. It is just a theory, but you never know.'

The cavers have found it extremely useful having Time Team involved. 'I think we have shifted more stuff in the last three days than the five of us could have done in six months,' says Alan. 'Yes,' agrees Malcolm, 'It's also been good to have so many different experts involved who have seen the potential in different areas that we have yet to explore. We've also had quite a lot of freedom to work within the programme and everyone has got on really well. It's certainly been an experience.'

What happens next?
'We need to make sure that the site is properly protected,' says Malcolm. 'There's obviously going to be some form of scheduling to protect the archaeology, but hopefully the research and exploration can continue. The Pegasus Caving Club is very responsible with over 50 years of caving experience. Hopefully we can protect the site and maybe even become trustees of the cave. We've had great support from the landowners and local authorities so the working relationship is good. It's a fantastic cave down there so we all hope that it can still be enjoyed in a responsible way.'

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