Church Micro #6788 Kington St Michael Multi-Cache
Church Micro #6788 Kington St Michael
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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This one stage multi will take you a little further away from the church due to very close proximity of other caches in the area.
The key tot he church can be borrowed from the village shop during opening hours and returned afterwards.
Kington St Michael is about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of junction 17 of the M4 motorway and Chippenham and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the A350.
There is evidence of habitation of the area in the New Stone Age and Bronze Ages. The first named settlement dates to about AD 934, when it was known as "Kington". Later known as "Kington Minchin" during the early existence of Kington St. Michael Priory, it became "Kington St Michael" in 1279 when the church was rededicated to St Michael.
A market cross was adjacent to the Priory and according to Aubrey, sold staple foods. A Michaelmas Fair was also noted for its "ale and geese".
The main activity in the village was agriculture for many years, although there is some evidence of a small textile industry.
,/br> In about 1760 the Chippenham to Malmesbury road (now the A350) was made a turnpike, and Kington benefited from the increase in traffic, by the end of the 18th century supporting "tailors, two blacksmiths and a carpenter ... [and] a slaughterhouse, malthouse and public house". By 1851 the range of occupations reported in the village had expanded further.
The village has several Grade II listed buildings. Grade II* listed buildings include St Michael & All Angels parish church and a group of monuments in the churchyard.
The original church here was of Norman origin. It was substantially restored in 13th century and parts of that restored church still remain. The porch, some of the south aisle and the chancel all date from that time. In 1703 during a severe storm the tower and spire collapsed into the north aisle. The tower, which now contains a peal of six bells (all dated 1726 by Abraham Rudhall, a Gloucester bell-founder), was rebuilt in 1725 and the north aisle in 1755.
The Victorians achieved another major restoration in 1857 and a great deal of this can be seen today, including the reredos behind the altar, the pulpit and the pews. Then just as the Christmas Day service started in 1990 a freak storm blew the southeast spire of the tower over and it fell into the roof timbers of the nave, miraculously causing no serious injuries. Thus further restoration work took place during 1991 and 1992 and the Bishop of Bristol rededicated the church on December 12th 1992.
The plaque below the fine east window in the south aisle which is dedicated the Archangel St. Michael tells how it was erected in memory of two more illustrious sons of the parish, John Aubrey (1625-97) and John Britton (1771-1857), both of whom were Fellows of the Royal Society and renowned Antiquarians. The diarist Francis Kilvert mentions the parish several times in his writings, and in the north aisle can be found a memorial plaque to his grandparents, Walter and Thermutis Coleman. In 1985 the late journalist, Miles Kington, visited the village and in particular the church.
An interesting fact is that our church is only one of less than a handful in the country which has bells that are rung in an anticlockwise peal.
At the start coordinates how old was Hilda Ivy Light when she died on the 27th January 1920 = A B
The cache can be found at: N51ºA(Bx3).(B+1)(A-A)(Ax2+B)
W002º(B-B)(Bx3-1).(A+B)(Ax2)(B+A)
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See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onfr bs cbfg