Cache placed in accordance with the GAGB New Forest guidelines. Please note there is no night caching allowed in the New Forest.
On arrival at the car park, can you find the year that the methodist chapel was built? Use these digits yyyy to represent the variables A and B as follows: 1(A)0(B).
The unusual village name of Nomansland originates from a court case in which a John Shergold had built a cottage which was deemed by the Crown to fall in the area of the New Forest and not in the "Bishop of Winchesters land". The court found in favour of John Shergold and determined that his cottage was not on Crown land. People in the Court deduced that the land therefore sat neither in Crown land nor in the Bishop's land and therefore began to refer to it as "no mans land". Claimants started to arrive that day, having walked, run or ridden to the land in question to claim land without penalty. (1)
Walk to the left of the Public House and follow the lane to N 50 57.3(A-B)7 W 001 38.6(A-4)2.
On what date was the Court case of John Shergold vs the Crown settled and the village of Nomansland founded? Use the digits of the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy as follows: (C)(D)/10/1802.
Use these digits to find the next point at N 50 57.(D)0(D) W 001 38.3(A-D)(C+D).
Nomansland Cricket club have been playing on the green since they received permission from the Forestry Commission in time for the 1926 season for a payment of five shillings a year and any fence was "only to be of a temporary nature".
This pitch was probably unique in that it included parts of two roads, the boundary being the garden fences (i.e. the County Boundary). An extra duty of the umpire here was to check that no vehicles were coming before giving a nod to the bowler to bowl.
Besides the traffic problem, a 'six' could break tiles on cottage roofs, Boundary Cottage was particularly vulnerable. (The then owner is reputed to have said "I don't mind the tiles so much, its the fact they laugh"). In later years the increase of road traffic delayed the bowler more and more often. So in 1973, the pitch was moved so that the nearest road now became the boundary and play could be continuous. However, cars still need to be aware of batsmen hitting a six. (2)
How many times are members of the Hood family mentioned in both World Wars including those who fell? The answer gives you variable E.
How many times are members of the Dibden family mentioned in both World Wars including those who fell? The answer gives you variable F.
Use these digits to find the next point at N 50 57.(C)(E+2)1 W 001 38.0(F)6
You are walking through an area of the New Forests Ancient and Ornamental Woodland of Beech and Oaks which have been in existence since as early as 1625. A little further into the woods beyond this Geocache are areas of Oaks and Beeches that are more than 400 years old. (3)
On arriving at the coordinates, you should be able to find and read the current forest byelaws (look round the back). Use the Roman numeral describing the clause saying that no person shall "operate a metal detector" as your variable G and "drive a motor vehicle as a learner driver" as H.
Use your variables to find the Cache at N 50 57.0(G)(D) W 001 38.2(E-H)3
Please replace the cache carefully along with suitable stickoflage materials!
Your return journey to the car park from here is relatively straight. Walk down the gravel track heading slightly west of the direct bearing to the car park and you will rejoin the road and back to the car park.
References
(1) Livens, H. M. (1975). Nomansland - A Village History. Salisbury Times & S Wilts Gazette
(2) www.nomanslandcricketclub.net retrieved 17/3/2013
(3) Ancient and Ornamental Woodland - The Forestry Commission.