St Mary the Virgin, Beddington
This cache is a replacement for the archived CM386
It is probable that by the late 9th century a wooden Saxon church existed here. The first stone church may well have been built in the reign of Edward the Confessor; there is mention of a church in the Domesday Book (1086).
The present building was largely the work of the later 14th century, following on the arrival in Beddington of St Nicholas Carew in the 1350s. He united the two manors which had existed since Saxon times, and for the next five centuries the church and the village were closely connected with the fortunes of the Carew family. The most interesting part of the Church is the Carew Chapel which was added in 1520 and contains the canopied tomb of Sir Richard Carew. There are some interesting 14th Century misericords in the Choir. The brasses on the chancel floor are some of the finest in Surrey churches. In 1869 a peal of eight bells were installed and in 1877 two trebles were added to give the peal of ten that are now in the tower.
Alongside the church you will see Carew Manor, which at one time was moated. (see photo gallery) The banqueting hall has a fine hammerbeam roof and survives from the original house along with part of the orangery built by Sir Francis Carew and claimed to be the first in England. In about 1591 Sir Walter Raleigh secretly, and without royal permission, married one of Queen Elizabeth I's maids of honour, Elizabeth Throckmorton of Carew Manor. Raleigh spent time in the Tower of London for this and Elizabeth was expelled from the court but the marriage survived the imprisonment. A popular story is that when Raleigh was beheaded by James I in 1618, Elizabeth claimed his embalmed head and kept it in a bag for the rest of her life. His body was buried in St Margaret's, Westminster but many suspect his head remains in Beddington park. The Manor was home to the Royal Female Orphanage from 1865 until 1968. Nearby is an early 18th century dovecote.
To find the cache stand in the church gateway and look at the graveyard opposite. Above the entrance you will see some writing. Count the number of each letter and the cache will be found at:
N51 22.(T-G)(C+K)(R-1) W000 (L+V).(E-M-S)(R-M)(C+M+V). Checksum for all the numbers in the final coordinates is 38. Please replace the brick as animals have moved it twice.
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