The Earliest Cavers

[Subpopulus Hibernia]

Chatting with an archeologist friend recently we were wondering what the earliest caving trip in Ireland was. While we know that George Berkeley, the philosopher, visited Dunmore Cave in 1699, his visit was probably not the first, and he probably didn't get down on his hands and knees to explore the far reaches of the cave.

The article below was published in Irish Speleology in 1978 and recounts what Albert Mitchell reckons was the earliest 'proper' caving trip in the British Isles, to Dunmore Cave in 1749. Here a group of explorers were prepared to crawl flat out over rough ground to seek out new passage which is what Mitchell reckons sets them apart from previous visitors to caves.

I know that people have been exploring caves for millennia, but only recently have they been doing so for recreation and for the sake of exploration in it's own right. Does anyone know of any earlier recorded examples of caving as we might recognise it?

 

[graham]

The Palaeolithic decorated (so presumably not to be counted by Sub H's criteria) cave of the Reseau Clastres, part of the Niaux cave system in the Pyrenees was visited by a group of (off the top of my head - don't quote me on the numbers) two adults and three kids who appeared to have visited just for the hell of it. No apparent religious reasons & no sign of mining activity. This, according to the 14C dates from carbon smears left by their torches, was during the Neolithic.

To get to where they reached now is quite an epic trip including diving three sumps, which had been drained when I did it in 2006. Back in the Neolithic, they would have come in via the Petit Caougno, whose entrance is little way back down the hill from Niaux itself. I cannot say how easy a trip it was back then, as the cave is now blocked by a stal choke, but it certainly includes climbs & squeezes now on the way to the blockage. It's now gated, but was wide open back in the '90s.

 

[Roger W]

I have heard that the Earl of Leicester had some unfortunate peasant lowered down Eldon Hole to see how deep it was, back in the days of Elizabeth I.  It might have been a first for SRT, but I'm not sure if it counts as caving in SH's book - Leicester didn't actually go down himself, and I get the impression that the poor peasant didn't go voluntarily...

 

[Fulk]

I remember reading somewhere (A History of Cave Science?) that the first caving trip of which there is a written account, illustrated with pictograms of stick people wading in a stream and carrying blazing torches of some sort, took place in ca. 684 BC. From memory, the trip was part of the victory celebrations after a big battle somewhere near the mouth of the River Euphrates, and the local lads took the victorious king on a tour of their caves. I guess in those days, you didn't take a king caving unless you were pretty certain of brining him back alive (for obvious reasons).

Makes football, as a pastime, look like a Jonny-come-lately.

 

[Pitlamp]

The BCRA did have a Speleo History Group (one of its SIGs) - which I believe isn't operating at the moment, unfortunately. But you might find out who its members were and try to make contact? They may be able to help answer your question - or indeed they may be interested in the results of your own findings.

One of the main movers in that Group was Wig (Dave Irwin) but, sadly, he passed away not so long ago. I'm sure someone on BCRA Council could point you at the right people to ask though.

Good luck!

 

[graham]

The BCRA did have a Speleo History Group (one of its SIGs) - which I believe isn't operating at the moment, unfortunately. But you might find out who its members were and try to make contact? They may be able to help answer your question - or indeed they may be interested in the results of your own findings.

One of the main movers in that Group was Wig (Dave Irwin) but, sadly, he passed away not so long ago. I'm sure someone on BCRA Council could point you at the right people to ask though.

Good luck!

Wig ran it single-handedly, in effect. I was a member & I can name a few others. I have a full set of the N/L (not difficult there weren't many) around here somewhere. Maybe I should scan 'em & get 'em up somewhere.

 

[graham]

Newsletter: Old Series 1-6 Sept 1990 - Sept 1994

New Series : 1-11 March 1997 - August 2002

Journal "Record" 1-9 Autumn 1997 - Winter 2003-4

 

[Pitlamp]

Well done Graham. I don't suppose there are that many copies of each issue in existence so, if you are able to scan them and make them available online, you'll be doing the caving community a great service.

 

[dunc]

Whilst browsing through old copies of Caves & Karst Science I stumbled across an article, remembered this thread, figured I'd post some brief info..

Not the earliest ever but a fairly early one for this country. There was an article in C&KS V.26/2 about early cave exploration in the Northern Pennines, the earliest being 1746, possibly at Fairy Holes, Weardale.