The church
St Mary's of Brixton was officially dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1477 and the church yard consecrated a year later in 1478, before that burials would take place in the mother church in Plympton. Although a church has been on this spot for a long time previously, St Mary's as it now exists dates from the second half of the 15th century, it is constructed of local schillate with dressings of local granite as well as portland or ham stone. The west tower you see today was built in 1348.
The Organ was made by F.Tucker & Son of plymouth and then enlarged in 1966 by Osmand & Co of Taunton and restored once more in 1991.
The Tower now has 6 bells, 5 of which replaced an earlier 3 bells in 1737 with a 6th bell, the treble, being added in 1934. Each bell has it's own inscription which are as follows
Treble - In Memory of John Stooke Churchwarden 1934
2nd - When you us ring, we'll sweetly sing (my personal favourite)
3rd - Prosperity to the Church of England
4th - We were all cast at Gloster by Abel Rudhall
5th - Robert Avent, Church warden
Tenor - I to the church the living call & to the grave do summon all
The bells were rehung and refurbished a number of times in 1986, then 1996 and 2010!
If you happen to find the church open please take the time to admire the stunning stained glass from the inside where it can be truly enjoyed!
The Cache
The headline coordinates will take you to a celtic cross near the main door to the church, this is where we will begin. The cross in Christianity is a symbol of the atonement and reminds Christians of God's love in sacrificing his own son for humanity. It represents Jesus' victory over sin and death, since it is believed that through his death and resurrection he conquered death itself. The Celtic cross with a ring surrounding the intersection is often thought to have it's origin in paganism but has a long history within christianity none the less.
This vicar was sadly killed while tending wounded of which devons battalion? The number will give you A - The words below 'Pro Patria Mori' are part of a longer phrase 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' which translates as 'It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country'
I suggest you continue anti-clockwise around the church from here...
Close by you will see a budded cross in memory of the reverand Richard Lane, he was vicar of Wembury for how many years? This gives you B.
Continuing along the path you will find yourself at the east end of the church with a selection of crosses of various design, the largest, adorned with celtic knots is in loving and grateful memory of Jane Elizabeth Moon. Below the dates of her birth and passing is a two line phrase, the number of letters in the first line of this phrase will give you C.
Now into the north east corner of the church yard, into the most recently added section where you will find a cross with something missing... The number of letters in the name of William's wife will give you D
Nearby you will also find Millicent Alice, who dies on the EFth of August 1946
Now walk back down towards the large celtic cross of Jane Moon. Here you will spot some other nearby crosses...
A celtic knotted cross for Collinssplatt features 6 lines of text, how many words in the 5th line? This will give you G, next door his wife Elizabeth died on the H7th of october
Got all that?
Ok, just a few more... A white cross is memorial for Sydney A. Husk of which Hants regiment? This number gives you J.
Now follow the path round to the front of the church where you will find 2 more distinctive crosses, the first of marble. This cross features how many orbs? This will give you K
The second is the war memorial remembering those who gave their lives in the World Wars. Here you need L & M. How many soldiers are remembered who fell in the great war 1914-1919, this is L. On the World War 2 memorial side, remembering those who fell from 1939-45 the number of words in the penultimate line gives you M.
Now, after all that you can put the information into this formula :-
N 50 (L+F+H).(D-G)(C/J)(F-D)
W004 02.(B-K)(A-E-M-G)
Formula changed as of 24/04/2018, information is as before.
You can now access the cache one of two ways, via a short walk along local footpaths or there is parking nearby if you wish to drive, the choice is yours!
I have added the 'May Require Wading Attribute as many people have found that to be the case although it wasn't when placed!
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html