Cucklet Church

Cucklet Church
Cucklet Church Cave
Cucklet Church in Derbyshire
Location	Eyam, Derbyshire
Coordinates	53.2824°N 1.6786°W / 53.2824; -1.6786
Elevation	800 feet (240 m)[1]
Entrances	5
Difficulty	Grade I
Access	Permissive

Cucklet Church, formerly known as Cucklet Delph, is a cave west of Jumber Brook in Eyam, Derbyshire.[2]

The book Caves of the Peak District describes it as "A series of through arches in a prominent buttress."[1] It lies within the Stoney Middleton Dale Site of Special Scientific Interest.[3]

History

The cave was used as a church during the 1665 plague outbreak by William Mompesson.[4] The cavern itself was used as Mompesson's pulpit, with local family groups standing in the valley.[5] An annual plague commemoration service is held at the cave.[1]

The 19th-century Sheffield author Samuel Roberts published Cucklet Church, a poem that accompanied a description of Eyam and its history.[6]

References

1. Barker, Iain; Beck, John S. (2010). Caves of the Peak District. Great Hucklow: Hucklow Publishing. p. 263. ISBN 9780956347329.
2. "A view of Cucklet Church in Eyam Delph (CC80/00324) Archive Item - London Midland and Scottish Railway Collection | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
3. "Stoney Middleton Dale (SSSI)". Natural England. Retrieved 24 September 2024 – via MAGIC (Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside).
4. Croston, James (1876). On foot through the Peak, or, A summer saunter among the hills and dales of Derbyshire. J. Heywood.
5. Holland, John (1821). The Village of Eyam; a Poem, in Four Parts ... Reprinted, ... with Notes ... by J. Wilson. (Two Additional Poems by the Same Author.).
6. Roberts, Samuel (1834). Eyam: its Trials and its Triumphs. Sheffield. pp. 17–24.