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15th February 2019
03:33pm GMT
Creswell Crags is also home to the only Ice Age art known to be found in the UK.
"This discovery is significant because it looks like the largest assemblage of protective marks ever found in British caves, and possibly anywhere in Britain," said academic and TV presenter Professor Ronald Hutton, in a message on Creswell Crag's website.
Public tours of the caves have now been launched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5j3JKGZtHs
The Witch Marks were actually discovered by pure chance - they were spotted by two enthusiasts, Hayley Clark and Ed Waters, while on a tour of the caves.
“These witches’ marks were in plain sight all the time!" said John Charlesworth, Heritage Facilitator and the tour leader at the time of the discovery.
“Being present at the moment their true significance was revealed will stay with me forever. After 17-years at Creswell Crags it makes me wonder what else it has to surprise us. This remarkable place continues to give up its secrets.”
"Creswell Crags is already of international importance for its Ice Age art and ancient remains," added Chief Executive of Historic England Duncan Wilson OBE.
" To find this huge number of protection marks from the more recent past adds a whole new layer of discovery. Even two hundred years ago the English countryside was a very different place, death and disease were everyday companions and evil forces could readily be imagined in the dark.
He added: "One can only speculate on what it was the people of Creswell feared might emerge from the underworld into these caves."
