Skip to content

Godstow Abbey & Nunnery Multi-Cache

Hidden : 11/17/2011
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Godstow abbey was built on what was then an island between streams running into the River Thames. The site was given to the foundress Edith, widow of Sir William Launceline in 1133 by John of St. John and built in local limestone in honour of St Mary and St John the Baptist for nuns of the Benedictine Order; with a further gift of land from him, the site was later enlarged. The church was consecrated in 1139

The abbey became the final burial place of the famed beauty Rosamund Clifford (died circa 1176), a long-term mistress of Henry II. Henry's liaison with Rosamund became public knowledge in 1174; it ended when she retired to the nunnery at Godstow in 1176, shortly before her death.

The Abbey precincts were entered from the Wolvercote-Wytham road, which ran through the outer court. Here there was a two-storey main gatehouse which had one large gate for carts and a second smaller one beside it for foot traffic. The abbey was suppressed in 1539 under the Second Act of Dissolution.

Then abbey was converted into Godstow House by George Owen. It was occupied by his family until 1645, when the building was badly damaged in the Civil War. After this damage, the building fell into disrepair and was used by the locals as a source of stone for their buildings. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the ruined abbey was used for collecting livestock during the annual rounding up of animals on Port Meadow. In Victorian times, Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) brought Alice Liddell (aka Alice in Wonderland) and her sisters, Edith and Lorina, for river trips and picnics at Godstow. Also alongside the Thames at Lower Wolvercote and Godstow is a very well-known public house, close to Godstow Bridge. The bridge, in two spans, was built in 1792, the southern span being rebuilt in 1892.

To find the cache you will need to answer the following questions, then using these answers you need to work out what A, B, C & D are. Work out the simple calcultaion to give you the result of GZ

At the listed coordinates:
Q1= How many wooden beams are used above the doorway?
A=The second letter of the number
B=Third letter

At reference point 1:
Q2= What is the name of the rare plant used by the nuns and found in the area (Latin)?
C=Third letter
D=Fourth letter

Transpose the letters to numbers in the time honoured fashion of A = 1 to Z = 6 where all leading digits in two digit numbers are omitted so Z= 26 but is taken as 6.

N51 46.(C-2)(D-2)(B+1)
W001 1(C-1).(A-2)(B-4)(B-1)

PLEASE NOTE:
The cache is not hidden within the abbey's structure and to answer the qustions you will not need to climb any part of the ruins or pull out any rocks in the wall to find the cache.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Orjner gur ybat nez bs gur ynj!

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)