This is Mother Ludlam’s Cave, also known as Mother Ludlam’s Hole; the alleged home of the 17th Century Surrey witch, and a stone’s throw from Waverley Abbey, which I showed you the other day.
It’s a small cave in the sandstone cliff above the River Wey in Farnham. People would visit Mother Ludlam here, and ask to borrow her pots and pans. She would kindly lend anything, provided it was returned within two days.
A man asked Mother Ludlam if he could borrow her cauldron. She wasn’t keen on this idea at all, but relented. But unlike the other villagers, who frequently borrowed and returned her things, the man failed to return the cauldron.
Word soon got out that the witch had left her cave and was extremely angry. The man, absolutely terrified at the thought of what might become of him, sought sanctuary in Frensham Church, where he remained, and where the cauldron belongs to this very day.
It is also said that the Devil came here once, disguised as a man, and he asked to borrow the cauldron, but Mother Ludlam spotted his hoof prints in the sand, thus refusing his request. The devil stole it anyway, and she chased him in pursuit. The Devil made three great leaps, which are locally known as the Devil’s Jumps, which are just down the road in Churt.
There are other stories, too. The cauldron has been linked to Norse gods, fairies, Saxon chieftains, Celtic gods, burrowing monks, and many other things. I haven’t visited the cauldron yet, but I intend to, the next time I go home.
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