Shropshire Oddities – The Cantlin Stone Traditional Cache
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Shropshire Oddities – The Cantlin Stone
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This cache is placed near The Cantlin Stone on Shadwell Hill just off the Kerry Ridgeway. Although this cache is placed at over 1,500ft it is a fairly level walk from the various car parks. Enjoy the views.
This is my first cache and begins a series called Shropshire Oddities. Credit for the idea for the series goes to Dorothy Nicolle who wrote a book of that name which is a fascinating read for proud Salopians and visitors alike. Many of the cache locations I will use have come from the book. Thanks to Dorothy for allowing me to use the title for this series.
William Cantlin was found dead on Shadwell Hill in 1691. Different stories say that he was a pedlar travelling from farm to farm or that he was an itinerant roaming the countryside. He was robbed and murdered or he collapsed and died in a snow storm. It is now unlikely that his name was actually William Cantlin. The stone marking the spot where he died reads simply:
W.C. DECSED HERE BURIED 1691 AT BETVS
What is certain is that when his body was found a dispute broke out about which of the surrounding parishes should pay for his pauper's burial. Finally the vicar at Bettws-y-Crwyn took pity and laid poor William to rest in his churchyard. Recent research in the parish records show that a William Cantrell was buried at the church on 17th January 1691 so how it became known as the Cantlin stone is a mystery.
Almost 200 years later the vicar's act of christian charity paid dividends for the parishioners of Bettws, In 1875 the stone marking the place where he was found was accepted by the Enclosure Commission as evidence that the land on which it lay belonged to the parish, gaining them several hundred more acres than they would otherwise have been entitled to.
In 1858 local MP, Beriah Botfield, placed a large ornate celtic cross near the site to commemorate the incident and the Cantlin Stone (now a grade 2 listed monument) was placed at the base of the cross to act as a boundary stone between the parishes of Betws and Clun. The cross and stone are on a public footpath at N52.23.476 W003.10.529. The Botfield cross fell over in a storm and broke in two and was replaced by a replica in 1997. The original can now be seen in the Betws churchyard.
The cache is a 1.3L click lock box in a camo bag and is hidden in the edge of the forest not too far from the cross. Please be aware of muggles using the Ridgeway when retrieving or replacing the cache.
There is official parking at N52.28.582 W003.11.580 about 0.8 mile from the cache. For a longer walk you can park at the picnic site on the B4368 and enjoy fantastic views on an 8 mile round trip along the Kerry Ridgeway with only about 250 feet of total ascent. This walk also passes the cache called “Kerry Ridgeway”.
As you stroll along the Ridgeway imagine yourself driving cattle, sheep or geese with a journey of many weeks ahead of you as you travel the main droveway from Wales to London. The Ridgeway’s origins are lost in the mists of time but it is certainly older than the Iron Age earthworks which cut its line. It now marks the boundary between England and Wales. The Cantlin Stone (luckily for me) is just yards on the English side of the border with Wales hosting the cache. Offa’s Dyke crosses the Ridgeway about 3 miles to the east of the cache.
Finally, my thanks go to Chris Whythe at Forestry Commission Wales for allowing me to place the cache on their land.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svefg ynetr ohfu ba gur yrsg nsgre gur oevqyrjnl ba gur evtug
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