On the 15th August, 1821, the body of a young woman was found in Blackgrove Wood, just outside the Bedfordshire village of Tilsworth... she'd been murdered. She wasn't a 'local' woman and to this day her identity remains a mystery.
The identity of her killer also remains unknown or unproven, anyway, although rumours abound locally. The most popular being that she was the mistress of the squire's son and that he murdered her after discovering that she was expecting his child. That probably had more to do with popular romantic fiction than actual fact. There was no evidence to support the theory and the squire's son was never charged. A man named Evestaffe was eventually brought to trial for her murder but was acquitted through lack of evidence. It was said that on his deathbed, he subsequently confessed to her murder.
She was buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church and her tombstone was paid for by public subscription.
Engraved on the tombstone is a rather poignant poem:-
Oh pause my friends & drop the silent tear
Attend & learn why I was buried here
Perchance some distant earth had hid my clay
If I'd outliv'd the sad, the fatal day
To you unknown, my case not understood
From whence I came or why in Blackgrove Wood
This truths too clear & nearly all that's known
I there was murder'd & the villains flown
May God whose piercing eye persues his flight
Pardon the crime but bring the deed to light.
This poem was a popular subject for Victorian needlework 'Samplers'. One such sampler can be found Luton's Museum in Wardown Park. Another is in the V & A Museum in London.
Very close to this headstone is another unusual one. It would appear that two people were buried under a gatepost. In order to prove that you have visited the site of this virtual geocache, you will need to give me the initials of these two people and the years in which they died. This is most easily achieved by using the geocaching message centre. Please DO NOT post any photographs that show this gatepost or give the answer in your log. 'Found It' logs that are not supported by this information are liable to be deleted.
Please Note... There is no public parking available at the Church. Please park sensibly at the roadside in the village and walk up to the Church using the footpath.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.