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William T Palmer on caving parties

M

mikem

Well-known member
Editor of the FRCC Journal & a prolific writer on hillwallking in the first half of the 20th century, has this to say in his "Wanderings in Ribblesdale" (1951):
Mostly my halts in Horton-in-Ribblesdale have been of the "one-night" order, though I have spent merry week-ends with cave-explorers at both it's hotels. One was a sort of annual festival: here I made a speech which must have been excellent because it was brief... Usually it was towards dawn when the hotel and it's guests became quiet, and the fun was pretty lively. Of course no amount of Ribblesdale dialect was spoken, and the guests came from distant places, drawn together by love of caving and hill-walking. One party, reluctant to go to bed at all, strolled off to Pen-y-Ghent in perfect moonlight... At these gatherings there was a great amount of strong-man play which would have raised enthusiasm at a circus or on a stage. We had the show free and for nothing, with the excitement of perhaps a collapse of some human tower among our seats.
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He also gives some info & history of the pot-holes around Gearstones, a personal visit to Long Churn / Alum, the Boggart of Hellen Pot, Hull Pot & Victoria Cave.

Other books include the Complete Hill Walker, Rock Climber and Cave Explorer (1934 - although it doesn't contain much info on caves), "Wanderings in the Pennines" (1951 - a bit on mining on Alston Moor / Wearhead) & numerous other books on the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, N.Wales, Lakes & Scotland.

Mike
 
M

mikem

Well-known member
& "In Lakeland Dells and Fells" (1903) the final chapter is "Among Underground Scenery" describing a visit to Yordas Cave at the time when Rowton (sic) was the deepest known pot at 365ft. He apparently noticed some graffiti when returning to the entrance, about 18 inches above the floor, by Robert Whitandal from 1653, along with Robert Foxcroft & other dates of 1675 & 1730, of which Mr Batty from Braida Garth had been unaware.

Mike
 
langcliffe

langcliffe

Well-known member
John Hutton in his "A Tour of the Caves" published in 1781 records inscriptions in Yordas "above 200 years old" - i.e. back to the same sort of period.  The oldest recorded one visible now is ?J.T. 1768?.
 
M

mikem

Well-known member
Palmer quotes Thomas West's book of 1795 - "The Western Side of the Cave - This is a solid perpendicular rock of black marble, embellished with many rude sketches, and names of persons now long dead, the dates of some being over two hundred years old."
 
langcliffe

langcliffe

Well-known member
mikem said:
Actually West's book was quoting Hutton.../cavef.htm[/url]
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Not quite. A Tour of the Caves was first published in 1780 as an addendum in the second edition of Thomas West's Guide to the Lakes. I'm lucky enough to have a copy. It was published as a work in its own right later in the year.

It was based on a letter he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine published in 1761.
 
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