The Maiden’s Hand Traditional Cache
CymruGodsCountry: Unfortunately I have had to archive this popular cache as the church is now redundant and it is likely to be sold and become privately owned. [:(]
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Pentrefoelas Parish Church is just off the A5 in the village of Pentrefoelas. On entering the village from Cerrigydrudion direction take the right turn onto the B5113, the church is on your right hand side. There is parking on the roadside next to the church, or a public car park approximately 100yds further along the B5113.
As with most churchyards, please take care when you walk around as the ground can be uneven. Also please try to walk around the graves rather than over them.
So why “The Maiden’s Hand”?
Pentrefoelas is an ’Estate Village’, and the ancestors of the Wynne-Finch family have been landowners in this area since the medieval period.
If you explore the church, you will find a number of memorials dedicated to generations of the Wynne family. The alabaster memorial in the ‘Foelas Chapel’ area of the church is a particularly fine example—but you may notice that the maiden’s hand is missing.
During the Second World War, local people would take refuge here in the church when there was a threat of overhead bombing. On one such occasion, the church was packed and there was a scramble to black-out the windows, to prevent any lights shining and drawing attention to the people inside. One man steadied himself as he climbed to the windows, by using the maiden’s hand on the memorial. The hand snapped off, laying by the side of the maiden ever since. Hence “the Maiden’s Hand”!
Pentrefoelas Parish Church holds many more tales and secrets, why not pop in if you have time? The Church welcomes visitors and is open daily between 10am & 5pm. Whilst looking around, please remember that they are places of worship and contemplation, and the heritage is much valued by the local communities.
The cache is a small black container and it has a logbook, slate coin and pencil inside. Happy hunting!
Note: The co-ordinates were averaged out over several readings.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe gur tenirfgbar bs Wnar, qnhtugre (zrepu) bs Tevssvgu & Naa Gubznf.