Legends: The Raven & The Money Pit
Legends: The Raven & The Money Pit
Local stories of a raven and a cuckoo have been embellished in poetry and fable.
There is an oral tradition preserved in Little Wittenham that treasure was buried ages ago at a spot called the Money Pit on the east side of Castle Hill. The pit is said to be guarded by a phantom raven. This is a version of the story in an article by William Cozens in 1905, quoting the Parish Clerk, who had heard it as a child.
'At a very remote period, a certain person, desirous of securing the treasure for himself that had been secreted at the spot referred to, forthwith proceeded to search for it. After digging to a considerable depth he came to an iron chest upon which sat a bird like a raven. This uncanny apparition croaked out 'The man to own the chest is not born yet', whereupon the scared treasure seeker fled.
No further attempt was known to have been made, until the middle of the last century, when a shepherd made a persistent search for several days, but in vain. The narrator moreover affirmed that the pit always sank, although it had often been filled up with earth by himself and others, and that only nettles would grow there. He also said that human remains had frequently been discovered in the embankment near the entrance on the same side of the camp'.
Various versions known as the Shield Raven, Spectral Raven or Money Pit story have been told and retold, and of course have changed in the telling!
'The Shield Raven of Wittenham' is a ballad published in 1995 by David Cobb, a local historian, embellishing the legend .
The fable of the spectral raven has been added to by Julia Sargent and others and told to groups of school children visiting the Northmoor Trust. They would sit under the trees on Castle Hill to hear the tale:
'Once upon a time, a long time ago,- years before you were born, or your mother, grandmother or great grandmother,- hundreds of years ago, when the three great tribes of the Iron Age, the Catevellauni, the Dubonni and Atrebates lived in this area - there was a great king. The king ruled his people kindly and cared for the land. He was fair with justice and helped people in trouble. He used his wealth wisely, but noticed that his three sons did not care much for the people. They were not interested in the land and farming to produce food. They were harsh with their punishments, and often mistreated people who were too ill to work. The king decided that he would not allow his sons to use his wealth when he died, so he buried it in a deep pit just here on Castle Hill - a special place for meetings and ceremonies. The king then commanded the largest of all birds, the Raven, to guard the treasure for ever, - saying "Whosoever shall touch this treasure will wake up next morning with long grey hair, a long grey beard and shall soon be dead".
Well, time passed and the old king died and the three sons met to decide what they would do. Of course the eldest wanted to find the treasure. He didn't want to work and farm to make his money; he wanted a life of luxury where everything was done for him. He didn't care for the future, only for the present.
One night, under the cover of darkness, he left his roundhouse in the settlement and made his way up over the ramparts and through the fields to the very top of the hill. He carefully selected his spot to start digging, taking note of where the ground had recently been disturbed. Taking off his sheepskin cloak he started, and faster and faster he dug until "clank" he hit metal.
He threw his spade aside and dug furiously with his hands, then, just as he was about to lift the huge iron box, a large ghostly black bird flew down and, with wings spreading more than the span of a grown man's arms he croaked "In the morning you will wake up with a long grey beard and long grey hair, and you will soon be dead".
The eldest son was terrified. He ran back to his house and crept under the rugs. In the morning, just as the sun was breaking through, his wife called out "Husband, husband, wake up,- there is work to be done and animals to be fed. Your food is on the table". There was no answer. She called again, still no answer, so she pulled the covers off. There lay her husband, with long grey hair and a long grey beard and (of course) he was dead.
The same fate befell the second son but the third and youngest son conjured up a plan. Knowing what had happened to his two brothers he decided that he would engage the services of a slave or servant to dig for the treasure, then the spell would be put on him instead. He decided that, just to make sure he got the money and gold, he would kill the raven.
Well, he set off, dragging a very unhappy servant with him. He commanded the servant to start digging. Deeper and deeper he went and the hole got larger and larger. Eventually the servant was nearly hidden in the deep hole. Then "clank", the treasure was there, - and just as the third son got a glimpse of gold coins, brooches, scrolls, buckles and rings, the raven appeared. It hovered above the hole and spread his ghostly wings.
Just as it started to croak the spell, the third son grasped the sword he had carried with him, the biggest, most wonderful broadsword you would ever see. It was so long it needed two hands to hold it and the strength of a giant to lift it. The son raised the sword above his head to cut the raven in two, but the raven just plucked the sword from his hands with its beak and threw the sword high, high into the air. It curved over the hill and down towards the river and landed in a small pond. The son and servant, fearful for their lives, ran back to the village, and from then onwards the son decided to be a good king like his father, rule his people kindly and care for the land.
Well, whether this is true or false, one thing is certain. The sword now lies in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford,-the finest Iron Age sword you ever will see.
And the treasure? Who knows? Would you dare to try and find it?'
Is The Story True?
The 2003 excavations within the Iron Age hillfort added a twist to the story. Within a pit filled with pottery, animal and fish bones were found the bones of a large raven. Was this the Money Pit?
