BS: Tunnel vision?

Subject: BS: Folklore Wisdom vs Tunnel Vision
From: GUEST,John
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 06:51 AM

You may recall my recent post about the folklore surrounding the mysteries of the Holy Grail, and a newspaper article proposing a connection between the Grail and a small town called Hertford, situated in the gently undulating countryside of rural Hertfordshire - an old English county just North of London.

Yesterday, the same newspaper reported the "discovery" of an elaborate network of tunnels beneath the streets of Hertford - apparently the local residents of Hertford had no idea that the tunnels were there! These "secret passages" are thought to date back at least as far as the Crusades, and the Knights Templar are said to be involved.

What makes this story interesting, I think, is that knowledge of this local phenomenon was present in local folklore, yet that knowledge was untapped. The local people, even local historians had lost or gorgotten the knowledge, if indeed they ever had it, but it was retained in what might be called "the folkloric record".

While no individual knew the existence or extent of the underground tunnels, many people had heard of one passage or entrance but assumed that it was an isolated structure - a "one-off". We had the pieces of the jigsaw all along, but the whole picture was not seen until the pieces were assembled as a collective record of local folklore.

I wonder what other information may lie dormant and untapped in folk songs, folk lore, and even myths and legends?


SOURCE: Hertfordshire Mercury, "The secrets of underground Hertford", pp 16-17, 8 October 2004.
http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/mercury/news/story.asp?id=159459
Archived: http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0620

Subject: RE: BS: Tunnel vision?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 07:26 AM

Dorchester, in Dorset, has the same sort of thing. There's at least one tunnel crossing the main street, coming up near the County Courts. It's said that Judge Jeffrys (the Hanging Judge in the Bloody Assizes) used them to get from his lodging to the courts, to avoid being mobbed.

If you go into the Royal Oak pub just up the road, the cellars there actually cover more ground space than the pub building.... there are passages that have been blocked up and turned into storage and many bar staff have reported strange noises, cold spots and draughts from unknown sources.....


LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Tunnel vision?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 10:20 AM

Tunnel Vision:

The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of the oncoming train.

Subject: RE: BS: Tunnel vision?
From: GUEST,John
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 10:57 AM

Thanks Liz for adding such an interesting and relevent comment. I was able to verify the existance of the Dorchester tunnel that you mentioned but sadly unable to find a good URL for the story.

Exactly one month before Hertford's tunnels were "discovered" by a local newspaper, The Guardian newspaper in the UK reported a story about secret tunnels under Paris, France. Apparently it was being used by a secret society - probably connected to the Skull and Bones.

Has anybody else heard of anything like the tunnels under Hertford in Hertfordshire?

Subject: RE: BS: Tunnel vision?
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 12:17 PM

And I thought this was going to be about an opticians in Worcester called ......

Tunnel