Church Micro 3731...Cockayne Hatley
The Church of St John the Baptist is situated at the gates of an ancient hall and dates to the thirteenth century. It contains numerous high quality works of carved wood and stained glass mostly from the abbey of Alne near Charleroi. Dating from 1689 these works were "liberated" from Flanders following the Napoleonic wars by the Rev. Henry Cockayne Cust, parish rector from 1806 to 1861. The entry for Cockayne Hatley in the 1839 edition of Pigot's Directory Of Bedfordshire states: "the painted windows, the oaken screens and the stalls . . . impart to this incomparable country church the similitude to a cathedral in miniature". The churchyard contains a handsome monument over the grave of the poet W. E. Henley who was a frequent visitor to Cockayne Hatley Hall. Henley who had a wooden leg was Robert Louis Stevenson's model for Long John Silver. Henley was also a friend of J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Henley used to address Barrie as "friend" which Henley's only daughter Margaret (1888–1894) who is also buried there along with her parents mispronounced as "fwend" and changed in a childish way to "fwendy-wendy". The latter part of this familiar name gave the name of "Wendy Darling" which later became the Wendy of Peter Pan. Henley is now chiefly remembered as the author of the poem "Invictus".
This is a mystery cache and IS NOT at the published coordinates.
The cache is a small clip and lock box.