There is very little recorded of the early days of church history in Spondon, but from the Domesday Survey in 1068 we know that there was a church, a priest and a mill. There is also evidence of Saxon occupation that can be found in the grounds of the old vicarage, where Saxon burials have been identified. In the graveyard there is a Saxon decorated cross shaft dated to the ninth century circa 870.
The present church of St Werburgh, Spondon, along with its 35 metre high tower and spire, date from 1390 and replace the original church building that was burnt down in 1340 during the "great fire of Spondon". Funding was secured by the alowance of local tax relief, as Spondon was decimated and had very little money.
There is a peal of six bells, one of which is 16th century, one 17th and the remaining four of the 19th century.
I would recommend a walk inside the church as it has a lovely atmosphere and is quite impressive. There is a rare royal arms displayed representing the arms of Queen Anne before the union with Scotland.
Spondon St Werburgh's Church holds a special place in my heart, as it is where I was Christened and where I was Married.
Photo By Me
The cache can be found at N 52 55.ABC W 001 24.DEF Where :-
A = the first digit of the year on T Cox's headstone
B = the number of headstones in the group where T Cox's headstone is, minus the fifth digit of vicars telephone number excluding the area code
C = the second digit of the year on T Cox's headstone minus the number of bells at the church
D = the second digit of vicars telephone number excluding the area code
E = the last digit of the year on T Cox's headstone minus the second digit of the year the original church burnt down
F = the fifth digit of vicars telephone number excluding the area code
Checksum for final coordinates is 19
The cache is a short walk form the church, necessitated by the location of other caches in the area.
You are looking for a camo Bison in an ICT
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