Hoghton Old School - Withnell Traditional Cache
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Hoghton Old School - Withnell
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Gentle walk, children and wheel chair friendly with easy access from Withnell and Brinscall.
Parking is possible on the lane.
Probably the first known school in the area of Withnell. The founder of the school is said to have been Jeremiah Black, a retired seaman who had witnessed Nelsons death on the Victory. He was self taught, an excellent draughtsman, a beautiful pen man and a good musician.
After returning to his native Hoghton and finding no school, he started a night school. This was so popular that one night Charles de Hoghton was on his way home and found people talking about it and so he decided to have the new school built on some of the land belonging to the Hoghton Estate.
Sometime after the school opened, Jeremiah Black organised a concert, attended by Charles de Hoghton and many other guests. One of the guests was a young lady who was introduced as Mademoiselle Lucie Gratina who it turned out was a Prima Donna. Never before had such a vision of beauty been seen in Withnell. It seems she captured the heart of a John Withnell who lived in Hill Top Farm close by on Bury Lane. They fell in love and met secretly, the romance couldn't continue as Lucie could never be a farmers wife. She returned to London and her letters ceased. John went to London to find her but found she had got married. Months later on a very stormy winters night a sound was heard outside the Hill Top Farm, crouching on the lower step of mounting stones was Lucie, wet through, she was coughing and very ill. She was taken inside and put to bed but sadly passed away.
She was buried in the Old Church (St.Pauls), John placed a stone with the inscription "This stone erected in affectionate remembrance of LG by JW".
The cache is located on the lane when walking up towards Larkhill (Od Vicarage) off Bury Lane, after finding the cache if you look to the left you will see the ruins of the Old School which is now just a pile of stones.
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(Decrypt)
Flpnzber
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