St Mary's the Virgin Church, Purley on Thames Traditional Cache
St Mary's the Virgin Church, Purley on Thames
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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Small container placed in a very special place to us - our regular place of worship.
Cache placed with the kind permission of Rev D Archer and Church Warden Mr D Davies of St Mary the Virgin, Purley on Thames.
The early history of the church in Purley is shrouded in the mists of time. In Roman times there were probably a number of Christians in the area which formed part of the territory of the Atrebates, a tribe centred upon Silchester, or to give it its Roman name Calleva Atrebatum. The remains of what is presumed to be a Christian church have been found there during excavations. In recent years a Christian font, also dating from Roman times, has been found at Caversham.
In AD 635 St Birinus was sent to Wessex to supplement the work of St. Augustine in Kent. He was given a site in Dorchester on Thames by King Cynegils whom he had converted to Christianity. For many years Birinus tramped across the downs preaching and founding churches.
The seat of the Diocese of the West Saxons was later moved to Winchester but for a while Purley came under the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Lincoln as Mercia engulfed this part of Berkshire in 758 . It eventually returned to Wessex in 851. Soon after, in 908, the Diocese of Winchester was split and Purley became part of the Diocese of Ramsbury which was formed essentially from Berkshire and Wiltshire. Shortly after the Conquest, Ramsbury, which had by then also taken in Dorset became the Diocese of Salisbury. There Purley remained until 1836 when it was transferred to Oxford.
The first church was probably built in Purley in the late 9th or early 10th centuries and was rebuilt or extended in the 12th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. It must be unique in that its incumbent was ejected or deprived almost every time there was a religious upheaval in England. The roll of Rectors goes back at least to 1248 and includes a good cross section of typical English clergy.
The oldest gravestone in the churchyard is that to Sarah Barefoot who died in 1720. There are several other 18th century graves eg Eleanor Nichols (1721) and John Nichols (1725), Martha Lovegrove (1757), William Viner (1773) and Mary Viner (1784). Several of these have been levelled to facilitate grass cutting.
Four of the tombs in the old part of the graveyard have been listed as being of special architectural or historic interest. These are the ones to Edward Sherwood (1856) and John Sherwood (1792) both by Ashlar and that to Thomas Canning which was moved to its present position in 1985. Sir Fredrick Henry Sykes succeeded to the title of 5th Baronet Sykes of Basildon and gained the rank of Captain with the 11th Hussars and Royal Horse Guards.
There is an official Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone to Charles Elliott in the new churchyard. Several graves bear additional references to men killed in the two World wars. In addition to those noted above there is a reference to Ronald Rawlins (1944)
For many centuries the population of Purley was small and stable, but in recent years it has exploded and now the church serves a bustling community of commuters and suburbanites as well as retaining many of the characteristics of a rural parish.
To get back onto the Thames path if travelling West to Pangbourne -Turn right out of the car park, follow the road into Waterside Drive and go through the barriers at the end. Turn right and take the first lane on the right which will bring you to the river, turn left for Mapledurham lock with a small café. If going east towards Reading straight down St Marys Ave follow the road up New Hill and turn left onto the Oxford, you can get back onto the Thames Path behind The Roebuck public house.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
90 qrterrf