Two previously unpublished early accounts of Goatchurch Cavern have been found and are presented here. Firstly, there is a letter from Reverend David Williams to the Royal Society in 1831 describing a visit to the cave and secondly, an extract from the notebooks of James Parker, now held by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, dating from 1865, which includes the earliest known sketch of the cave. In addition, other early accounts are examined and their sources are identified. These accounts provide a description of the extent of the then known cave. The origin of the name is discussed and what the accounts tell us of the early state of the cave is examined.