Church Micro 2651: Ramsey-St. Mary's Traditional Geocache
Church Micro 2651: Ramsey-St. Mary's
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is part of Sadexploration's immensely far–reaching Church Micro series.
A simple lock-n-lock hide at the edge of the cemetery of the Ramsey-St. Mary's Church.
The church was founded in 1858 by Mrs Emma Fellowes, widow of William Henry Fellowes of Ramsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire, and was opened in 1859. The Parish of Ramsey St Mary was created on 3 July 1860, and in 1861 had a population of 1,088, increasing only slightly as the century progressed.
The building is an elegant Victorian Church, built in the Early Decorated/Gothic style, with brick and facings of stone. It stands on a vaulted foundation supported by a large number of bog oak piles, which were driven through peat and soft clay down to a level of hard clay by pile driver, the weight for which was left in the corner of the churchyard for many years. The architect was Richard Armstrong of London and the builder John Bird of Huntingdon.The building consists of a tower, nave and chancel. The tower was originally surmounted by a wooden and slated broach-spire complete with a weathercock. Over the years the spire became unsafe, and was removed about 1920, leaving battlements which were themselves removed from the tower in 1974. The tower contains a clock with two faces, one to the north and one to the west, and also two bells and a weathercock.
The churchyard is still in use and has been extended on three occasions. A walk around reveals the last resting places of William Caldwell Harpur, "Vicar of this parish 1875-1912", and Charles Brown, "for 12 years Vicar of Ramsey St Mary." The names of some of the men who died during World War One are mentioned on the gravestones of their parents, and there are several Commonwealth War Grave headstones here. There must be sad tales to tell about the Emmington, Phillips and Pledger families who lost 3, 6 and 3 children respectively. However, there are almost twenty instances where the persons were aged ninety years or more at the time of their deaths.
(visit link)
Special thanks to our UK caching friends Cromscout & Trouble'N'Strife for maintaining this cache. Permission was granted for the placement of this cache.
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If anyone would like to expand this Church Micro numbered series please do so by contacting sadexploration via www.geocaching.com so that he can keep track of the church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ynfg gerr va gur srapr yvar, ernpu hc jvgu onpx gb gur ebnq