General Information
The idea that churches could offer sanctuary dates to Anglo-Saxon times. Criminals, including murderers, could invoke the protection of the church, and thereby seek pardon for their crimes. The right of sanctuary at Beverley was granted by King Athelstan between 859 and 939 A.D. and extended for a mile in all directions around the Minster marked with four (or possibly five) stone crucifixes, nowadays there are no complete crosses left only the stone bases (which is quite impressive considering they have survived over 1,000 years!)
They were erected exactly 1 mile from the doors of Beverley minster and were the indicators of sanctuary, nowadays hundreds of people past these stones in their everyday lives and very few notice them never mind know their purpose, hence the reason we have placed these caches.
In the country, there are only thought to be around 2,000 medieval crosses hence why the stones have special protection as historic monuments.
Upon entering the sanctuary zone (touching one of the 4/5 stone crosses), a pursuer had to pay the church, the closer to the church they got the more expensive it became until they reached the final ‘zone’, the sanctuary chair (or frith stool) which criminals would use to sit in and claim sanctuary, the seat remains within the minster situated beside the alter.
Once criminals had gained such sanctuary, they could stay for a maximum of 30 days. Beverley was one of several great churches in the north known as ‘sanctuary refuges’, for most other churches sanctuary was only given at the church door.
Information on this Stone
The cross comprises a 2m high surviving limestone shaft set upon a metre square stone base with bevelled shoulders, and it has engaged shafts and semi-rounded corners which each bear a single vertical grooved line
The monument formerly bore the inscription `rate pro anima magistri villielmi de walthon' (pray for the soul of William of Walthon)
Information on this Cache
Within the cache there’s part of the coordinates for the bonus