Apparently, in 1802, a man named Samuel Mathew was found murdered inside a cave near the Sydenham Wells!
I wonder where this cave might have been and if it still exists? There would probably be a blocked up entrance somewhere?
I bet I can guess roughly where it would be... it must be in the "Hollow" Combe area! Somewhere from the banks of where Upper Sydenham station was, along the steep part behind St. Clements House then Vigilant Close, and finally the back of The Wood. I would say these are the most likely spots. However, there is also some very steep parts around Hillcrest Close.
You do ask some challenging questions, Falkor. However, this one's fairly easy to deal with.
Doris Pullen's book on Sydenham, in which I suspect you read the story, was but the most recent to mention the murder of Samuel Matthews. The story is told in at least three other books. The earliest and most detailed account (and, I suspect, the one from which the other authors took their information) was in "Ye Parish of Camberwell" by W H Blanch, published in 1875.
According to Blanch, after the death of his wife Samuel Matthews decided to retreat, and live in solitude. Although he was mildly eccentric he was "a quiet, inoffensive and strictly honest man". He gained permission from the Master of Dulwich College to "dig a cave and erect over it a hut on that part of the manor [of Dulwich] abutting in the rear on the College Wood and in the front on Sydenham Common". In 1798 he was attacked, robbed and left for dead "by a gang of gypsies". He recovered, and became something of a celebrity. He was visited by the well-intentioned and curious, to whom he was always hospitable.
Matthews was murdered in Dulwich Wood on 28 December 1802. At the time of his death he was about 70. The inquest was held in Dulwich Village when the verdict was "wilfull murder by person or persons unkown". Although the Camberwell authorities offered a £25 reward for information which would help convict his killers nobody was ever charged. However Isaac Evans, "well known about Sydenham and its neighbourhood as Wry-necked Issac" admitted, on his death-bed in Lewisham Workhouse in 1809, that he had been one of those who had murdered Matthews.
Because of the involvment of the Camberwell Vestry and Dulwich College it is clear that Matthews' "cave" was on the Camberwell/Dulwich (now Southwark) side of Sydenham Hill. If he had lived on the Sydenham side they would have been only too happy to have left responsibility with the Lewisham authorities.
I've just come across another account of the story of the Dulwich Hermit, published in about 1855 and so within living memory of his death. He was an occasional gardener for some of the houses in Sydenham, with a habit of talking to himself. This article describes his cave as "a mere hole, hollowed out by himself in the earth, admitting him only on hands and knees; boasting no other furniture than a kettle hung on sticks ... [and] a few few rough bushes which guarded its entrance". The article adds: "Many who came to the wells went a few steps farther to see the hermit's cave".
So, sadly no caves in Sydenham, but still a touching story of the Dulwich Hermit
Thanks for the info, Steve! Seems the cave was more than a "few steps" from the wells... oh well.
"a mere hole, hollowed out by himself in the earth
Reminds me of a big hole I once dug out myself at the top of a mound in front of Peters Path. I was convinced there were fruits growing underneath the ground and managed to influence my childhood friend, who actually believed me and helped with the digging. I think I had been watching the Great Escape, but anyway, we never completed it, although we certainly left our mark. This was 15-20 years ago, but if you visited the mound today, you're bound to still see a little ditch.
