MONK’S GOLDEN ALTAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1005, 23 June 1930, Page 10

MONK’S GOLDEN ALTAR

SEARCH IN OLD TbMNBjS MISSING FOR CENTWWg The quest for an altar of missing for centuries, a network . subterranean tunnels, which ennil*t London's Underground in extent, the ghost of the woman who saw sweetheart murdered, are all fornJ: exciting features of a treasure hnti. Cs the peaceful village of Rodboura Chesnev. near Swindon, Viltshirp The tunnels, which stretch for mn under the countryside, have not , been explored, but already discovert have been made of mediaeval ST and pottery. A piece of e ias 3 w an heraldic design on it has been 2to the Heralds’ College for inspect The golden altar, however, still aw,, discovery. "I hope we find the altar,” saiito Rev. Cecil Brown, the vicar “for would be useful. I am a ppealhy,m. for 50,000 pennies for mv churchy The fine old church of St. Ma Kodbonrne. Chesnev. which dates bL to the twelfth century, might v likeued to the axle of a wheel 2 the tunnels as the spokes \ A staircase in the church, at wej bricked up owing to foul gases ftw underground, leads to a tunnel whl after a few yards branches into fj vaulted passages, discovered by Übc ious spadework. One tunnel leads for a few liundn yards to Rodbourne Manor Hon» another for three miles to the ruiof Blunsdon Abbey, a third to af«ri house at Rodbourne. a couple of mu away, and the fourth in the direct,,' of Lydiard Trigose. This fourth!,, nel has not been fully surveyed, h it. is believed to lead to lydiard Par. the historic residence of Lord fu iugbroke. It is in one of the tunnels that HReede, the verger of St. Mart Church, hopes to find the" gold# altar which the monks of St. Mart hid from despoiling hands at thetiw of the Reformation. Local tradition is strong that th altar is hidden underground. j, value is said to be enormous, lor d, only is it of gold, but it is studdwith precious stones. Mr. Reede showed a visitor son,, mediaeval pottery, glass, and ancle earrings, which he had discovered i one of the tunnels. He said he hs refused an offer of £25 from an anquarian for one small object. “I have not been through all th tunnels,” said Mr. Reede, “bat I ar, sure of their direction, because I hat explored for miles across the field digging down to vaultings with i spade. It I had a pocket deep enong i I could make a proper job of it.” The X'isitor motored to the pictiresque ruins of Blunsdon Abbey, wher guided by Mr. Reede. he found or of the exits from the tunnels block* with rubble and overgrown win brambles. Here was learned the story of the ghost of Sir Ferdinand Blunt's wife, who before her marriat saw her lover, the curote of the paria: murdered at the old rectory near by New- knowlege of the secret tunne: with which the vicinity is riddled n<n associates the murder with the sini ter hidden approach.

The villagers always, on October y. shun the rectory gardens, where th< ghost of Lady Blunt is supposed to appear. The manor house, at preser the residence of the Rev. Vernon He: ford, a regionary bishop of the Evagelical Catholic Communion, fora another terminus to one of the? mysterious tunnels. Mr. Herftml. who was busy in his garden, turned over the ground with a spade to shov where the vaulted roof of the tunnel passed under his ground. “It comes up in the cellar,” Mr Herford said, “but the entrance is sealed. I have been here only a few months, and have not done any exploring. My housekeeper tells me thawhen sitting in the house on Sunday, she has frequently heard the strati' of the church organ coming throng) the floor, which shows that the tunud broadcasts sound. We are too far from the church to hear the orgs.. from the garden.” Finally the investigator met an old farm labourer who laughed grimly a the treasure hunt. “Aye, I heard my father talk of the golden altar. 1 may be underground there,” he saic “but there will be a curse on tho> who dig for it. The old monks wh. buried the treasure knew a thing *f two.”