Royston, Hertfordshire

In 1742 a strange cave carved out of the chalk was discovered in the centre of Royston. This cave is located underneath the central crossroads of the town where the Icknield Way[?] cross Ermine Street.

The carvings in the cave have lead to much speculation about the origin and function of the cave. Local historian Sylvia Beamon[?] in her book Royston cave - used by saints or sinners 1993 contends that there is a link with the Knights Templar.

Royston takes its name from Rosia's Cross, the base of which still stands beside the cross roads. This has led some experts to suggest a link with the Rosicrucians, whose central texts include a reference to a cave with a tomb therein. This has been fuelled by the fact that the marriage between Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth of Bohemia daughter of James I of England was negotiated in the town (James I had a palace just by the cross roads.) Frances Yates[?] in her book The Rosicrucian Enlightenment[?] has shown the importance of this marriage to the Rosicrucians as Frederick V's claim to the throne of Bohemia plunged Germany into the Thirty Years War.

On August 22, 1992 the cave was used as the site for the reappearance of the London Psychogeographical Association after 35 years of occultation[?].