Canute Cache #2 - To Gain the Field Traditional Cache
Canute Cache #2 - To Gain the Field
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A small cache left behind by Canute, on a bridleway
This is one of a series of 3 caches, called the Canute Caches.
Local folklore has it that in the time of King Aethelred the
Unready, when Canute the Dane was storming across the country, a
fierce battle took place in this area. Canute and his army were
based at Cherbury Camp, near Charney Bassett (Canute Cache #1), but
the Saxons moved secretly up to Uffington Castle, to
“persuade” them to leave. A young shepherd boy, named
William Pusey, saw their armies marching across the Downs, and
being sympathetic to the Danish cause, blew his horn to warn Canute
of the ambush. The two armies met at the crossroads near Gainfield
(Canute cache #2), at a field which is now known as The Gore,
because of all the blood that flowed that day during the battle. At
first the English were pushed back to Stanford in the Vale, but
they soon recovered ground when the Danes stopped to eat honey on
Honeycomb Hill. The invaders eventually managed to Gain-the-Field,
and when Canute also gained the whole Kingdom, the brave Berkshire
shepherd boy was rewarded with all the land within the sound of his
horn and the manor which still bears his name – Pusey Manor
(Canute Cache #3). Gainfield Gainfield is a small hamlet on the
southern edge of the parish of Buckland. The battle between the
Danes and the English took place near the crossroads here. Rumour
has it that Canute lost a small, ruby encrusted dragon casket
during the battle, and because his GPSr had run out of batteries,
he was unable to find it! The cache is placed along a bridlepath,
and involves a short walk through the fields – take time to
picture the history which may have taken place here! The cache is a
“small” small, and although the casket itself cannot
hold swaps, ye olde authentic Danish camo-bag (!) can! Dogs are
welcome here, but please keep them on a lead.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)