'D' is for Denmead.
The area we know as Denmead was once covered with woodland and heath, and formed part of an extensive wooded area known as the Forest of Bere, which stretched from Winchester to the West Sussex border. Over the centuries the land was gradually cultivated into farms and dwellings.
By the 12th century the Manor of Hambledon had been formed and permission was granted for a number of sub-manors and 'Denmeade' was one such holding. The name Denmead (or Denmeade) comes from the Old English words, 'denu', meaning hollow or valley, and 'mede', meaning meadow, and therefore means 'the meadow in the valley'. It is generally accepted that Rookwood Farm previously named Denmeade Farm, dating from around 1200, was the Denmeade Manor Farm. It is known from written records that during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries there was an important family living here called 'de Denemede'. A Mathew de Denemede is mentioned as early as the 1220's.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the area was obviously fairly prosperous with the production of wheat for near and distant markets and a windmill was built in 1819 (demolished in 1922) . As the century progressed most of the remaining areas of woodland and waste were brought under efficient cultivation, to produce food for the growing naval port of Portsmouth.
A number of hamlets; included Barn Green, Worlds End, Anmore, Furzeley Corner and Pit Hill were established but they remained tithings of the Manor of Hambledon until 1880, when All Saints Church was built near Barn Green and the newly formed parish of Denmead was named.
Denmead is now a thriving village community of some 1215 hectares (4000 acres) with local shops, public houses and amenities but still only a few minutes walk to the countryside from most parts of the village. The remnants of the historic Forest of Bere still surround the village with Creech woods to the south and west and High wood and Harts copse to the North.
The cache
The cache is a disguised container which is big enough for small trackable items and geocoins. Take a walk through High Wood (part of the ancient Forest of Bere) and find the clues to spell out
HAMPSHIRE.
WP1. At the published co-ordinates find the following
The number of horizontal bars on the gate = H
The number of horizontal bars on the fence to the right of the gate = A
Look for the padlock. The first of the four numbers = M
On the padlock the last of the four numbers = P
WP2. Walk to N50 54.555 W001 04.406
Look up to find - S YE HI
WP3. Look up again on the other side at N50 54.547 W001 04.425
The shape depicted on the yellow sign = R
If it is a circle = 1. If it is a triangle = 2. If it is a square = 3. If it is an arrow = 4.
WP4. Walk to N50 54.628 W001 04.451
At the stump you will find a camo bag containing E
| H |
A |
M |
P |
S |
H |
I |
R |
E |
| = |
= |
= |
= |
= |
= |
= |
= |
= |
The cache can be found at N50 HS.EMA W001 PS.(I-S)ER
This cache was placed by GeoJaxx
Bonus Cache
Bonus numbers will be present in all of the caches in the series. You will need to collect these numbers should you wish to find the series bonus '* - Bonus Cache - Hampshire A-Z'
Anyone finding at least 26 caches in this series may post the badge below on their Geocaching.com profile
