All Saints Church Kirkby Overblow stands 365 feet above sea level and the village is said to be equidistant between the North and Irish seas on a line drawn from Bridlington Bay to Morecombe Bay.
Kirkby Overblow was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cherchebi ‘the village with the church.’ The Overblow is a corruption of Oreblow, a reference to the village's iron-smelting past.
The earliest part of the present church is the 14th century transept known as the St. Helen’s chapel. However, evidence of an earlier church has come to light with the discovery in recent renovations of a fragment of carved stone dated to the 10th century.
Much of the present church has undergone reconstruction. Between 1778 and 1803 the tower was largely rebuilt and fitted with a new clock (said to have the longest pendulum in Yorkshire); the chancel was re-roofed and re-paved; and a new porch was built.
There was another period of renovation in the 1870’s where two new windows were pierced in the north wall, the tower arch and its west window were opened up and a completely new chancel arch was built. This was also the time when the stone pulpit was erected.
In 1890, oil lamps replaced the old system of candles but the following year, a fire destroyed the chancel roof and caused much damage to the choir stalls and organ. It was thought to have been started by a dog overturning a lamp, as a charred body was found in the church the following day.
The cache is outside the church yard, you will need to bring your own writing implement
Please replace as found, you will know what I mean when you find it - as long as the finder before you did !
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