Dangers of Treasure Hunting in Sixteenth-Century Devon April 12, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
Ancient mounds and barrows evoked mixed feelings in your average yokel in the medieval and modern period. On the one hand you, might find treasure: gold, silver and coins from the Empire or even before. On the other, though, you were likely to get flattened by whatever dragon or spirit guarded the hole in question: our ancestors never buried their kin without putting magical protection in place, at least this is the implication of descriptions like the following. We are in sixteenth-century Devon:
A daily labouring man by the work of his hand and sweat of his brow having gotten a little money, was desirous to have a place to rest himself in old age, and therefore bestowed it on some acres of waste land, and began to build a house thereon near, or not far from, one of these burrows [at Challacombe], named Broaken-Burrow [the split barrow?], whence he fetched stones and earth to further his work; and having pierced into the bowels of the hillock he found therein a little place, as it had been a large oven, fairly, strongly, and closely walled up; which comforted him much, hoping that some great good would befall him, and that there might be some treasure there hidden to maintain him more liberally and with less labour in his old years
This is a really quite impressive description of the heart of the barrow with the foundation stones and a burial within.
wherewith encouraged he took his work earnestly until he had broken a hole through this wall, in the cavity whereof he espied an earthen pot, which caused him to multiply his strokes until he might make the orifice thereof large enough to take out the pot, which his earnest desire made not long a doing; but as he thrust in his arm and fastened his hand thereon he suddenly heard, or seemed to hear, the noise of the trampling or treading of horses coming, as he thought, towards him, which caused him to forbear and arise from the place, fearing the comers would take his purchase from him; (for he assured himself it was treasure;) but looking about every way to see what company this was, he saw neither horse nor man in view. To the pot again he goes, and had the like success a second time; and yet, looking all about, could ken nothing.
Who were these horsemen? The cavalry of an Iron Age potentate or an echo of Arthur sleeping under the hill (all hills?) with his knights. In any case, we know better than the yokel. The pot contained ashes: it was a cremation pot, of course.
At the third time he brings it away, and therein only a few ashes and bones, as if they had been of children, or the like.
Of course, things did not end well.
But the man, whether by the fear, which yet he denied, or other cause, which I cannot comprehend, in very short time after lost senses both of sight and hearing, and in less than three months consuming died. He was in all his lifetime accounted an honest man; and he constantly reported this, divers times, to men of good quality, with protestations to the truth thereof even to his death.
Now another story from the same region. This too ends badly – they always end badly – but this time we have to blame a sorceror: at least that is how this blogger would read the account.
Two good fellows, not inhabiting far from this burrow, were informed by one who took on him the skill of a conjuror, that in that hillock there was a great brass pan, and therein much treasure both silver and gold, which if they would mine for, he promised (by his metaphysical skill) to secure them from all danger, so he might have his share with them.
It should be noted here that nobody went treasure hunting in early modern England without a magician. And this is one of these things where the local cunning man or woman (wartfull or wartless) was not up to job. Magicians normally had Cambridge degrees (or the real shysters had been to the other place) and could run up a zodiac in short order.
They with little persuasions they assented, and in love made a fourth man acquainted therewith, whom they knew to be no dastard, but hardy in deed; but he better qualified than to take such courses to purchase wealth, absolutely refused to partake therein, but promised secrecy. The other two, with their protector the mystical sciencer, proceed, come to the place, go to their work, and apply it so earnestly that long it was not ere they found the pan covered with a large stone; with the sight whereof and their assister’s encouragement they follow their labour with the utmost ability, for he always told them if they fainted when it was in sight it would be soon gone and taken from them, and their whole labour lost. Now the cover was to be opened, and the strongest fellow at work; but he was suddenly taken with such a faintness that he could neither work nor scarce stand, and therefore called to the other to supply his place, which he presently did. Lifting up the cover he was instantly surprised with the like faintness; which continued not long either; but their defender [the magician] told them the birds were flown away and the nest only left, which they found true; for recovering their strength they lift away the stone and take out the pan, wherein was nothing at all but the bottom thereof, where the treasure should seem to have been, very bright and clean, the rest all eaten with cankered-rust.
There are a great number of stories – there is a fine La Fanu tale – where people reach the treasure just too late. But what are we to make of this particular case. Presumably the magician had made them faint and had confiscated the treasure for his own ends? Or was he really in league with the man who had promised secrecy? The narrator in any case continues:
The relator protested that he saw the pan, and they two that laboured told him severally all these circumstances, and avowed them. It is at your choice to believe either or neither; I have offered them to the shrine of your judgment.
Other stories from the mounds…. Drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
