Marginalia

A cave fit for a king

A near-complete Anglo-Saxon dwelling and oratory, believed to date from the early ninth century, has been discovered in central England by archaeologists from the Royal Agricultural University and Wessex Archaeology. Furthermore, the researchers suggest it may have been the home to Eardwulf, a former King of Northumbria.

The caves, which are located between Foremark and Ingleby in South Derbyshire, were cut out of the soft sandstone rock. They have long been considered to be eighteenthcentury ‘follies’, but this new study, published in the Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society, demonstrates that these caves likely date to the early medieval period.

“Our findings demonstrate that this odd little rock-cut building in Derbyshire is more likely from the ninth century,” explains Edmund Simons, a research fellow at the Royal Agricultural University and project member. “This makes it probably the oldest intact domestic interior in the UK – with