Given the current issues we are facing and how reports suggest that Covid-19 can remain viable and infection of some surfaces for days after contamination can I suggest that people remember to sanitise their hands before and after finding the container and signing the log book. The main priority here is that we should always stay safe.
The current church dates from the late 14th and early 15th century althought it is likely that a church has stood on this site from at least Norman times.
The tower has contained bells since the 16th century, however in 1753 Thomas Bilbie of the Bilbie family of Chew Stoke cast a new peel of six bells. One was recast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1817. These hung in the tower into the 20th century but were not used because of safety concerns. The wooden frame was replaced by one made of steel between 2003 and 2006 when the bells were rededicated and could be rung again.
The church is the setting for an annual ceremony known as Clipping the church. It is an ancient custom that is traditionally held on Easter Monday or Shrove Tuesday in the United Kingdom. The word "clipping" is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and is derived from the word "clyp-pan", meaning "embrace" or "clasp".
Clipping the church involves either the church congregation or local children holding hands in an outward-facing ring around the church. Once the circle is completed onlookers will often cheer and sometimes hymns are sung. At Rode the circle faces inwards and participants dance to the left and right before rushing inwards and cheering.
To find the cache you need to locate Cmdr Arthur Noad RN (Deceased).
What day did he pass over? : AB
What Year did he pass over? : CDEF
How old was he? : GH
The final location can be found at:
N 51 16.EHG W 002 16.(A+F+F)B(E-C)
The cache is small but hopefully you won't need tweezers to extract it.
For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?id=275067 please read the "Place your own Church Micro" page http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/place_your_own.html before you contact him.
See also the Church Micro Statistics page http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/cm.html and Home page http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html for further information about the series.