| About the Little Quest |
Welcome to Luffa's Ham, the County Rutland leg of Little Quest. For more information about this country-wide series of caches, please click on the "Little Quest" banner above.
Inside the cover of the logbook are the co-ordinates you will need to record in order to complete the whole series of "The Little Quest".
Little Quest Geocaching (UK) Little Quest Statistics
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North Luffenham History
Luffa's Ham (settlement) is one of Rutland's oldest villages. The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon cemetary to the north of the modern village suggests that there were people living here in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D.
The village grew and prospered during the Middle Ages. It still has its large, attractive parish church with 14th century spire, and many fine 16th and 17th century limestone buildings.
The 17th century was a more eventful time for the village. It was the scene of an English Civil War siege, and was home to two of Rutland's leading families - the Noels and the Digbys - as well as famous scholars and clergymen.
Siege!
Early in 1642, Lord Grey and his Parliamentary forces were gathered at nearby Leicester. With gunpowder and ammunition taken in raids on Oakham, they marched to Brooke to arrest Viscount Campden.
Henry Noel, a known royalist, heard of this and decided to take a "little guard" into his house - Luffenham Hall.
Disappointed at Brooke, Lord Grey and his 1300 soldiers made their way to North Luffenham. They destroyed the nearby hamlet of Sculthorpe and surrounded the Hall. There was little actual fighting, although the church burial register does record the death of one Parliamentary soldier on the 21st February 1642. Outnumbered by seven to one Henry Noel had little choice but to surrender.
The Hall was plundered and the Parliamentary soldiers attacked the nearby church, smashing windows and defacing a statue of Henry Noels first wife (the damage to the fingers and nose can still be seen). Noel was taken as a prisoner to London, where he died shortly afterwards.
A Tale of Two Halls
The original Luffenham Hall (the village school is now on the site) was built in around 1635 and belonged to the Noel family. Although besieged during the English Civil War it was occupied by the Noels until the 18th century. It was demolished in 1806. All that remains is the garden ha-ha (a sunken boundary wall) and outbuildings along Church Street.
To the east of the parish church is the present day North Luffenham Hall. Built in the mid 1500s, this was originally Digby Manor House and only later became known as Luffenham Hall.
Scholars and Schools
Vincent Wing, the 17th century surveyor and astronomer, was born in North Luffenham. He published books on astronomy and began an Astronomical Almanac, a collection of mathematics, astrology and astronomy. He also made a detailed survey of the parish in 1660, a few years before his death.
Another famous inhabitant of the village was Robert Johnson, founder of Oakham and Uppingham Schools. Rector of the church from 1574 until his death in 1625, he was said to have "been observant, preached painfully and kept good hospitality"!
Luffa's Ham Cache
This is an easy cache to find and is located to the south west of the village of North Luffenham at the end of a short walk of around half a mile from the given parking co-ordinates using public footpaths. The route takes you past North Luffenham Primary & Junior School, through the church yard past the beautiful parish church, over an old stone stile, past the ha-ha, across a field and down to the River Chater. The footpath is clearly marked at each side of the field, but does tend to fade away in the middle - just keep heading in a straight line, avoid the sheep (and their droppings) and you'll soon arrive at the cache location. Please be aware that as this path is across grassland, the area can get a little muddy and slippery after heavy rain. With the exception of the stile, the route to the cache is buggy friendly, although probably not suitable for wheel chairs.
You are looking for a regular sized "ammo box-type" cache container, which has plenty of room for swaps. A pencil has been provided, but it may be wise to take your own pen. Please ensure the lid has been fully closed and the carabiner bungee tether secured to the ammo can handle before re-hiding. Take care both recovering and hiding this cache, and try to ensure it remains securely hidden.
On street parking for this cache is available on Church Street, just along from the old 'Horse and Panniers' public house, that was known locally as the 'Nag and Bag', until it closed in 2013. Additional waypoints for car parking, the start of the footpath and the stile are provided.
Happy Cache hunting
 Congratulations to Wallace Warrior for being first to find!
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