St. Leonard’s Cache Traditional Geocache
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(regular)
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Approx. 200m south east of the church (down the road towards Oakhanger) is a gate dedicated to Keith White. If you follow the path through the gate across the field and over the wooden bridge you’ll be going in the right direction. Cache is a 1.5L tupperware box
Two miles north of Oakhanger lies St Leonard’s Church, Hartley Mauditt, which having lost its village stands isolated beside the village pond.
This was essentially a manor church, built between 1100 and 1125 by one of William the Conqueror's knights, William de Mauditt, in a clearing in the forest. He would also have built the manor house and cleared the land for growing crops and grazing his animals, and his family and servants would have worshipped in the church.
The building is a simple nave and chancel, although originally it probably would have had an apsidal east end. The porch protects a beautifully decorated Early English doorway. Inside is the 15th century font, and in the south wall is a Norman window. The chancel arch is an early Norman horseshoe arch, and the east chancel window is Early English, the same period as the present east end which replaced the apse.
Beneath the chancel is a crypt, probably the Stuart family vault, which is entered by a doorway (now bricked up) which lies behind the pulpit.
After the de Mauditt's, the manor passed by various families to John of Gaunt and remained Crown property until 1603. The Stuart family bought the manor in 1614 and held it for many years. Their monuments, several with colourful heraldry, are in the chancel.
In 1798 the owner preferred to live in London, but his wife wished to remain in Hartley Mauditt, so he demolished the manor house, thus forcing her to follow him. She is buried in the churchyard, so her heart at least did in the end return.
The destruction of the manor meant loss of employment, and the village was abandoned. The church was restored in 1854 and 1904, the last when the bell turret was renewed. Today the church is well preserved and beautifully maintained.
(From: (visit link)
DUE TO THE LIMITED SIZE OF THE HIDING PLACE THIS CACHE IS RELATIVELY SMALL IN SIZE. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS WHEN PLANNING ITEMS TO LEAVE IN THE CACHE: IN THE PAST OVER-SIZED ITEMS HAVE BEEN STUFFED IN THE CACHE PREVENTING THE SECURE CLOSURE OF THE SEAL AND ALLOWING WATER INGRESS TO DAMAGE THE CONTENTS. WHEN YOU VISIT THIS CACHE PERHAPS YOU MIGHT SATISFY YOURSELF BY JUST LEAVING YOUR NAME IN THE LOGBOOK OR A CALLING CARD?
CACHE ORIGINAL CONTENTS:
* New Zealand silver fern badge
* Clockwork racing snails
* Minature maracas
* Giant dice
* Glitter pen
* Red nose day 2003 badge
* Wiggle key ring/bottle opener
* 2 x AA batteries
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf pbaprnyrq vafvqr gur ubyybj gehax bs n jvmra gerr bhgfvqr n jbbqrq rapybfher.