St
Mary's has a long history. There has been a church on this site
since approximately 1086 when the previous church was listed in the
Doomsday Book. The building had its origins in the late 12th
century. Buriton was the mother church for the
district until 1886 when Petersfield with Sheet became a sepatate
parish.
The
nave of the church is traditional Norman style of four bays with
typically rounded pillars and moulded capitals. The roof is of
trussed rafter and crossbeams supported between each arch by a
stone corlbel. The north aisle was rebuilt in 1764 and the windows
were renewed in 1877. The west end window is a memorial to John
Goodyer (1592 1664) a famous botanist, who is buried in the
churchyard. The south asile was rebuilt in about 1300 and widened
to provide room for the Lady Chapel. At the east end there is a
17th century Communion table with baulster legs, and on the south
side is a fine arched piscine for washing communion vessels. The
tower replaced the steeple, which was destroyed by fire in 1712.
The replacement tower is 48 feet high and is built of ironstone
with stone dressings. The present clock in the west face was added
in 1906. There were five bells when the tower was rebuilt but a
sixth was added in 1935. There are two funeral hatchments on the
wall on either side of the apex, these were hung over the front
door of the deceased during the period of mourning and then laid up
in the church.
Start
by
looking at the nearby memorial at N50
58.497 / W000 56.860
and answering the following questions:
How many members of the
following families lost their lives in the Great
Wars?
- STRUGNELL's =
A
- POWELL's =
B
- FRANCIS's =
C
Then take a
quick look at something at N50 58.486 /
W000 56.853 and decipher the
following.
- Three Horse Chestnuts of
approximately 200 years old at Sheep Dip =
D
Then have a
wander to N50 58.461 / W000 56.847 and look for
this grave place
- Private W BEAGLEY of Duke
Of Cornwalls Regiment =
3E2F6
Once
you have visited these three places you shoud be able to work out
the following:-
N 50 5D
. (A+F) (D-F) A
W 000
5(E+F-C) . (E+F) (B-A)
A</>
The
cache is a 35mm Film canister, outside of church grounds,
happy hunting.
If anybody would like to expand
to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let
Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the
Church numbers and names to avoid
duplication.