VS#204 Sturmer Traditional Geocache

If anybody would like to expand this series please do. I would just ask that you let Smokeypugs know first so they can keep track of the Village Sign numbers and names to avoid duplication.

Village Signs is a series of caches based on the ornate signs that depict the heritage, history and culture of the villages that put them up* This cache can be done as a cache n dash, or it can be done while doing other caches that are in the area. The Sturmer Heritage Trail is a lovely circular which takes you around the village.

Sturmer is a village in the county of Essex, England, United Kingdom, 3 km (2 miles) SE of Haverhill and close to the county border with Suffolk. Its name was originally "Stour Mere", from the river Stour. The mere still exists today to the north-east of the village. The village also gives its name to the Sturmer Pippin apple which was grown in the orchards of the village.

Sturmer has a tumulus to the West of the village, next to the eastern most roundabout of the Haverhill bypass. This would have been a burial ground for ancient Britons. It is dated Neolithic to late bronze age (2400 to 1500 BC), however, local legend has it that one of Boudicca's generals is buried here.In the Old English poem The Battle of Maldon, which describes the battle of Maldon against the Vikings in AD 991, a loyal Anglo-Saxon warrior named Leofsunu or Leofsund says he is from Sturmer (lines 244-254).There is a modern slate memorial to him on the north wall of the nave of St Mary's Church that was dedicated by the Bishop of Colchester on 11 August 1991.Like most English villages, Sturmer once had industry of its own, including shops, maltings, farming, orchards for both apples and willow for basket making and cricket bats. Today there is little of this local industry left. The oldest cottage is Linnetts in Linnetts Lane that also dates from the 14th century. Most of the village area is still covered with worked arable land although it takes far fewer people to run an arable farm than it did in the 1800s.

Please note the cache is not place on the village sign so please do not climb all over it. Please hide as found. Bring you're own pen and tweezers.When hiding this cache the footpath was very wet, please wear appropriate footwear.