By: Alan
……Cromwell and his men obtained access to the Castle by means of one of the secret passages that laid immediately under the river. This, or some other subterranean passage, was discovered very lately in the town, close to the Cardiff Arms Hotel, by a party of workmen who for some purpose were employed to dig here. One of them, while busy at his work, perceiving the ground sinking beneath him, called lustily for help; when his astonished comrades had just time to throw a rope within his reach, of which he caught firmly hold, and thus saved himself from falling into the uncertain depth below. The magnitude of his excavation, or the course it pursued, is equally unknown. Neither of the workmen had the curiosity, or perhaps the courage, to explore it, and the opening which led to the discovery was closed up again as soon as possible.
The following letter forwarded to the Editor of the Archaelogica Cambrensis
Sir,
I transmit for publication an extract the Cardiff paper, as to a discovery made on the 12th ult., of a subterranean passage, leading from the Castle, in the direction of the Cardiff Arms Hotel. I proceeded to the spot on the following evening. As the cutting for the sewer was of considerable depth, and ran parallel with the only entrance into Cardiff from the west, the utmost exertions were used to finish the barrel drain, and fill in the excavation. However I was enabled to see a few yards of the masonary composing the tunnel, which had been cut through and laid bare. There is a tradition that the Castle was surprised in the Great Rebellion by the Parliamentary soldiers. I have no means of enquiring as to whether Cromwell was present, but my impression is that he was far away at that time…
JOHN M. Traherne,
Tenby, September 9th, 1856
