Royston may appear to be a sleepy backwater town in Hertfordshire but it has a surprising amount of history. I work in Royston and have never seen so many blue plaques (30 apparently) in one place before.
The History
Royston began at the intersection of two ancient roads: Ermine Street and Icknield Way. Ermine Street was constructed by the Romans but the prehistoric Icknield Way is said to be 'the oldest road in Britain' and was there long before the Romans.
The town takes its name from the wayside cross erected by Lady Roysia around the time of the Norman Conquest. The cross was mounted in a large rock called the 'Roysia Stone' or ‘Royse Stone’ .
The most intriguing piece of Royston history is hidden beneath the junction of the two ancient routes, the man-made Royston Cave . Rediscovered by workmen in 1742, the cave has medieval carvings depicting pagan images and several Christian saints. The origins of the cave are unknown but legend suggests it was used for secret meetings of the Knights Templar in the 13th century.
In the 17th century Royston was a favourite hunting ground for King James I, who had a hunting lodge built here, part of which can still be seen from the first set of co-ordinates. Many of the current buildings surrounding the lodge had other uses during that period.
This cache should give you a taster for the history of the town. As you walk round you may notice brass markers in the pavement at various points of the town. This is part of the Royston Town Trail. For more information on Royston History - visit http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/royston/index.html
Refreshments are available within sight of the cache site and there are also a couple of public houses that serve food along the route.
There is free parking available at N52 02.979 W00 01.498 but is limited to 2 hours or at N52 02.880 W00 01.542 in a supermarket car park but costs 40p for an hour (or 10p 16:00 – 18:00).
The Cache
The cache is a camouflaged vitamin container with a log book, pencil, a few trinkets for swaps. The original 35mm case now holds the co-ordinates to the new cache. Initially had a 1 DM coin, 1 Belgian Fr coin and 2 x 20p coins for the first cacher who has paid for the car park.
Question 1: N52 02.947 W00 01.474
From the information board…
What are the first two dates shown ? 16AB 16CD
To your right is the Royston Museum . Admission Free.
(Opening hours – Wed, Thur, & Sat. 10:00 – 16:45 and Easter Weekend – Sept. - Sun. and Bank Holiday Mondays 14:00 – 14:45)
Question 2: N52 02.886 W00 01.445
What is the only number in the inscription surrounding the Royse stone ? E
(pictured above)
To the northeast of this position across the road is the entrance to the Royston Cave (see photo).
(opening hours – Easter weekend to End of Sept. - Sat, Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays 14:30 – 17:00)
Question 3: N52 02.861 W00 01.866
On the monument to Queen Victoria….
Find the two dates displayed and subtract one from the other ? FG
The cache co-ordinates are N52 AC . D (F-D) (E-C) W00 A (B-C) . (F+C) (E-G)C
From here the micro holding the cache co-ords is under a half mile walk. From that point the new cache location is about 0.2 miles away.