A Tour of Stoke Under Ham
Stoca / Stoche / Stochet / Estocha / Estochet: William de Mohun; Mauger from Count of Mortain. Mill. (Domesday Book)
STOKE UNDER HAM, a parish in the hundred of Tintinhull, county Somerset, 5½ miles N.W. of Yeovil, and 2 S. of Martock railway station. The village, which is large, is situated on the river Parrett. Many of the female inhabitants are engaged in glove making, but agriculture is the principal industry. In the vicinity are traces of the chantry, or college, founded in 1304 by Sir John Beauchamp; who had a castle here. On Hamdon Hill are extensive stone quarries. This parish comprehends the villages of East and West Stoke. The soil consists of a light loam, with a subsoil of clay, producing grain and green crops in abundance. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £109. The church, dedicated to St. Denis, has a tower and five bells. The Wesleyans have a chapel, at which a Sunday-school is held. The Prince of Wales, as Duke of Cornwall, is lord of the manor. (National Gazeteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868)
There will be some driving and some walking round Stoke Under Ham to find this cache, as the village is quite spread out.
The published co-ords will take you to parking for the Holy Tree Cross. This is a Wellingtonia tree planted to commemorate the marriage of Edward, Prince of Wales to Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. It replaced an oak planted in 1837 to celebrate the accession of Queen Victoria. The numbers that should have been here have been removed, so I'll give them to you.
V=8, W=5, X=0, Y=4, Z=2
Back in the car, drive into the village, and turn north into North Street and go to N50 57.5VY W02 45.XZW
The Stoke Millennium Stone is on the site of The Croft, or Edwinscroft. What is the earliest recorded date? Let this date = 1A42
Drive (or walk) south along North Street. Stoke Castle was the home of John Beauchamp II in 1333. It had its own chapel, St Nicholas. It went to ruin in the late 15c, after the land passed to the Duchy of Cornwall. Castle Farm now occupies the site of the chapel. In what year was the current owner born? Let that date = 19B2
Continue south along North Street. On the same side of the road as the Farm is The Gables, built in the style of an Elizabethan manor house in 1615. How many panels in the front door? Let this number = 1C
Now drive to the parking co-ordinates. There is also parking on the road at the southern end of North Street. After parking, turn left out of the car park, and walk down to the corner.
Find when William Pranket caused the water to run. Let that date = 1D01
Turn round 180 degrees and find when the house was built. Let that date = Date01
On the same side of the road as the house, go east, and look for a welcome in Latin. Let the total number of letters in the inscription = EF
Continue east, and find out when Gundrys Row was built. Let that date = Date02
East again to no. 51, when was that built? Let that date = Date03
Then to no 57, when was that built? Let that date = Date04
Turn north into Bonnies Lane, walk down the hill and then turn west into Castle Street.
When was Castle Terrace built? Let this date = Date05
Castle School is positioned close to the site of a thirteenth century castle. The 'castle' was probably only a fortified manor house, but the name remains around this part of the village. The school was built in 1875, but later extended at the west end. Let the date of the extension = Date06
Go west along Castle Street until you reach North Street, and turn south into North Street.
The Priory, known as Parsonage Farm before 1902, was the home of the Provost and the Chantry priests, and was originally built in the 14c. It now belongs to the National Trust and is worth a visit if you're there when it is open. It isn't currently open, but the opening hours were 11 to 5, So G=5
Keep going south along North Street, and turn west into West Street.
The Fleur de Lis public house is over the road. Originally built as part of the Stoke Priory in the 15c, it became an inn around 1754. The 2 doorways at the front and some windows at the rear date the building to between 1450 and 1483. In the garden at the rear, there is a fives court, built of Hamstone, with angled buttresses at each end. It was built in 1754, when the Bishop of Bath and Wells ordered that fives must no longer be played against church walls. In 1855, the English Fives champions were beaten by a pair from Stoke on this court.
All the windows on the front of the building have 3 panes except one. Let the number of panes on the odd window = H.
Opposite the Fleur de Lis on West Street, is an old small hall. What was the original use of this building? Let the number of letters in the second word = J
This completes your tour of Stoke Under Ham.
Let KLM = (Date04-Date01)+(Date03-Date02)+(Date06-Date05)
Now go to
N50 CD.(K-A)(E+H)(W-L) W02 (F-X)(V-Y).(B-M)(Z-E)(G+J-K)
to find the cache.
FTF Prize is a voucher for a free dessert at the Prince of Wales
(Now we know that some cachers will resort to using StreetView in an attempt to find some of these numbers before even going to Stoke sub Hamdon. Stoke Bunnies would never use such underhand methods. (Well, only now and then!). Good luck to you if you try that out, you'll maybe get some, but not all. It's been tested)