The earliest known record of a church in Kirtlington was in the Domesday Book of 1086. The oldest parts of the current church date back to the 12th century. In about 1250 the nave was rebuilt and north and south aisles were added. The transeptal chapel of Our Lady on the south side of the tower may be of the same date, and the apse was replaced with a rectangular chancel late in the 13th century.
The west window of the nave dates from the 14th century, as do two windows flanking a blocked 13th-century doorway in the north aisle. The east window of the chancel, west doorway of the nave and south doorway of the south aisle are also 14th century. The Lady Chapel was also rebuilt in the 15th century, and other late mediaeval additions include the perpendicular gothic windows of the south aisle and another Perpendicular Gothic window in the north aisle.
By 1716 the Lady chapel was ruinous and Sir Robert Dashwood1st Baronet had it converted into a family chapel and burial vault.[2] In 1770 the tower was unsafe and was demolished, leaving its arches between the nave and chancel. In about 1853 Sir Henry William Dashwood, 5th Baronet had the bell tower rebuilt] by the gothic revival architect Benjamin Ferrey in a Norman Revival style. In 1877 Sir Henry and Lady Dashwood had the chancel restored by Sir George Gilbery Scott At the same time the organ was installed in the Dashwood Chapel, obscuring a 1724 memorial to the first three Dashwood baronets and other members of the family.
The rebuilt bell tower has a ring of eight bells. Henry III Bagley of Chacombe near Banbury cast three of the bells in 1718, presumably at his then bellfoundry in Witney Abel Rudhall of Gloucester cast the tenor bell in 1753.] Two bells came from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry one cast by Charles and George Mears in 1853 and the other by Mears and Stainbank in 1870. The current ring of eight was completed when John Taylor & Co from loughborough cast the treble in 1938. St Mary's has also a Santus bell cast by Henry III Bagley in 1718.
St Mary the Virgin is now part of the Church of England benefice of Akeman, which includes the parishes of Bletchingdon, Chesterton, Hampton Gay, Middleton stoney, Wendlebury and Weston-on-the-Green.
Now onto the hunt.
The above co-ordinates should put you at the gate of the church.
D = how many spindles are on the pedestrian gate?
now walk around to the south porch of the church inside you will find a wooden plaque
A = What is the first number on the plaque?
B = Whar is the 10th number
C = What is the 11th Number
Near the plaque there is a plan of the churchyard which has pictures of plants on it.
E = Look at thethe fourth picture on the top row, how many letters in the latin name (first word)?
F = go and take a rest near the south porch. In memory of Elizabeth ? from her friends. how many different letters are there in her last name?
The final cache location is : N51 52.ABC W001 16.DEF
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