The Church
Although Sellack’s first priest is recorded as John de Henle in 1291, St. Tysilio's Church had certainly been here well before that date.
It would have grown from a small simple wooden building caring for a population of probably no more than a few dozen. There is a record that in the 7th century a grant was made to Nud, Bishop of Llandaff, of Lann Sulac (Syllyg) – in modern welsh ‘Silio’. This suggests that the Celtic Christian Church (and not the Roman) held sway locally at that time.
Later, Bishop Herwald ordained Iacob ap Amhyr as priest in Lann Suluc. Herwald lived in the reigns of Harold II and William I – the conqueror.
By the 12th century, wood had given way to a building in local sandstone. In 1291, when the record of priests begins, Pope Nicholas IV valued the church at Baysham (Sellack was officially Baysham from 1291–1351) at £20 13s 4d per year! The vicar’s portion was £5.
At this time the church would have had a nave, a chancel and a north aisle. One of the original arches leading from the nave to the north aisle still remains. Early in the 13th century a north chapel was added, but 100 years later both aisle and chapel were rebuilt and the west tower and south porch were added.
Apart from some minor alterations three centuries later, no more major rebuilding was done until 1840. Then the parishioners, who have been described as somewhat overzealous and with more money than sense, knocked down most of the north aisle and built (badly) the north transept as it is today. The roof leaked but has since been repaired and made good.
In 1895 there was a sense of urgency and purpose when the suspension footbridge was built across the river to join Kings Caple and Sellack. Apparently, the boatman would often refuse to take the vicar across the river so it was built, largely at his expense. I recommend walking across the field to the bridge because it is possibly the finest example of a Louis Harper bridge still in use in the UK, there is a fantastic view back to the church, and of course, there is a cache there.
Major repairs and restoration were undertaken on the 15th-century spire, the top of which was found to be in a ‘perilous state’, in the late 1980s at a cost of around £40,000. This was a remarkable venture for such a small community. However, just 25 years on the tower had developed a serious structural crack which needed urgent rectification to prevent possibly losing the spire completely. Another major fundraising task was undertaken and managed to raise the extraordinary sum of £140,000 to complete the work in November 2014.
Pax Cakes – A Rare Custom
The rare custom of distributing cakes after the Palm Sunday Service is observed here in Sellack. Hentland and Kings Caple also observe this custom, which is thought to be unique to this small area. They are known as Pax Cakes because they are distributed with the salutation ‘Peace and Good Neighbourhood’. The cakes are now really biscuits and carry an impress of a lamb and a flag. They were originally buns and at Sellack and Kings Caple, ale was at one time also provided, but this was discontinued some time ago.
The Cache
To locate the cache, find the answers to the following questions:
Q1: At the published co-ordinates - How many letters in the Reverand's surname on the plaque? = A
Q2: Tomb 1 - How old was William Robinford when he died? = BC
Q3: Tomb 2 - How many letters in the first name of Jane Skyrme (it is not 4)? = D
Q4: Tomb 2 - In what month did she die? = EF
The cache can be found at:
N 51° 56.(D-F)(B-C)(A+C) W 002° 38.(A+E-B)(A+C-D)(ExF)
Checksum A+B+C+D+E+F = 27
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