The Church
The cruciform Church of St John the Evangelist in Milborne Port, Somerset, England is of late Anglo-Saxon date and parts may well span the Norman conquest. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.
Although parts of the church, such as the nave, were extensively rebuilt by the Victorians in the years from 1867 – 1869, the pre-conquest central tower and chancel remain. The south transept was heavily restored and the north chapel wall rebuilt in 1843. The north transept was rebuilt along with the nave, so compared to pre-1867, half of the Anglo-Saxon church has now gone. If you go inside the church, you can see the original roof line, and the window in the ringing chamber which originally would have looked out over the roof. Having the window there is very useful at weddings, as it allows the ringers see when the newly married couple are about to leave the church, then the ringing can begin!
There are eight bells in the tower, four of 1736 by Thomas Bilbie, two by George and Charles Mears of 1846, and the rest recast in the 20th century. The tenor is 28 cwt, and the bells were, until recently, the 8th heaviest ring of eight bells in the world (Somerset bells are renowned for their weight!).
The cache.
Go to the headline coordnates and find an old tomb.
On the east side of the tomb is inscribed “HERE LYETH Y BODIE OF THOMAS PRANKERD BACHELER; INTERRED Y ? OF JANVARIE ???? WHICH GAVE BY HIS” and on the north side “WILL TO THE POORE OF M.P. ?? POVNDS TO BE AND REMAINE TO THEM FOR EVER…”
What day in "JANVARIE" was Thomas Prankerd interred? = A.
What year was he interred? = BCDE.
What sum of money was given to “Y POORE OF M.P.”? = FG.
Checksum for ABCDEFG = 23
Go to Stage 2 at N50° 57.(A+C)F(C-F), W2° 27.(B+C)(D+E)B.
Checksum for decimal part of coordinates = 32.
WHEN REPLACING LOG, PLEASE ENSURE THAT THE RE-SEALABLE PLASTIC BAG IS PROPERLY SEALED - IT HELPS TO KEEP OUT THE MOISTURE
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See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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