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Church Micro 1585...Old Buckenham Traditional Cache

Hidden : 5/5/2011
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

All Saints - Old Buckenham
(another in the Church Micro series of caches)

The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions Old Buckenham simply as Bucham, a name once said to derive from the bucks in the surrounding woods. A stronghold north of the village was abandoned around 1146 when William d'Albini built a stone castle two miles to the east. He gave the vacated land to a small religious community which became Buckenham Priory, providing priests in the Buckenhams until the priory was dissolved in 1536. The site is now Abbey Farm. As the settlement beside d'Albini's castle was called 'New Buckenham', the original village became 'Old Buckenham'.

The Domesday Book often failed to mention the village church in its entries, and this was the case at Buckenham. It is likely that the basic structure of the present building existed before the Conquest. The earliest reference to the church comes indirectly in a document of 1254 where the village is mentioned as 'Bukeham Omnium Sanctorum', implying that it already had a church dedicated to All Saints. From All Saints' west wall to the chancel step is some 60 feet. The distance from the south wall to the row of pillars, the original width of the building, is 20 feet, with the south wall three feet thick. These dimensions are typical of Saxon foundations. The exterior of the west wall, moreover, reveals an extensive use of 'puddingstone' or Norfolk ironstone, a rust-coloured conglomerate used by the Saxons, but seldom found in later work.

More detail on this fascinating church here

This is a well used church, so please be sensitive when visiting. Your path will take you through the lovely churchyard - enjoy it, and be sympathetic to other visitors and 'residents'.

Nice easy one this time!

We would like to thank the Rector - Revd. David Hill - for allowing us to place caches in the six churches in the Quidenham Group of Parishes.Hopefully you will take advantage of your visit to explore the churches themselves.

If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication

Please ensure you replace the cache and that it is hidden. We have had it muggled because it was left in open view - fortunately a cacher was in the vicinity and recovered it!

*** FTF - eyeeye74 - 07/05/11 ***

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Phegfl nf lbh fgrc ba gur oevqtr!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)