The church of St Mary’s at Ilkeston dates back at least to Norman times, and three pillars and arches in the building date from the twelfth century. The church contains the tomb of the then lord of the manor, Nicholas de Cantelupe.
The first tower was built around 1200; a new tower was erected in 1731 but by the nineteenth century the church was in a very poor state, with a collapsed roof and walls. A restoration in 1855 stopped it from totally falling down, but many older features were removed. In 1910, a major extension to the church doubled its capacity, though this entailed dismantling the tower and rebuilding it closer to the market place.
Inside the church it is possible to see some original stonework in the screen, a sixteenth century parish chest, seats with effigies of King Henry III and Queen Eleanor of Provence, and a piscina with carved heads from the thirteenth century.
The co-ordinates for this cache will take you to the front entrance of the church, though there is no need for you to visit – all you need to do is a little research about the history of the church.
The actual cache is located very close by, at N 52° 58.ABC' W 1° 18.DEF'
A. Remnants of whose tomb were discovered during an archaeological dig in 2001/2?
If William de Cantelupe, then A = 2
If Edmund, Earl of Rutland, then A = 4
If the Anglo Saxon chief, Ealac, then A = 5
B. Who was the vicar of St Mary’s in 1850?
If Michael D. Pitt, then B = 4
If Edward Muirhead Evans, then B = 6
If George Searle Ebsworth, then B = 8
C. Who established St Peter’s Chapel in 1386 (it’s no longer standing)?
If the rector, Richard de Braundeston, then C = 0
If Thomas de Cantelupe (St Thomas of Hereford), then C = 5
If Joan, wife of Nicholas de Cantelupe, then C = 8
D. Who manufactured the mechanism for the 1864 clock in the church tower?
If John Smith & Sons, of Derby, then D = 0
If G & W Cope, of Radford, then D = 4
If John Taylor & Co, of Loughborough, then D = 7
E. When were the “Friends of St Mary’s Churchyard” started?
If in August 1986, then E = 5
If in July 2013, then E = 8
If in November 2017, then E = 9
F. To whom was the “Rutland Window” on the north wall dedicated (in 1899)?
If Charles Cecil Manners, Marquess of Granby, 6th Duke of Rutland, then F = 1
If Robert Charles John Manners, Lord Haddon, then F = 4
If Janetta, Duchess of Rutland, then F = 6
The cache is a micro, with no room for anything else other than the log sheet – please bring your own pen(cil). It is sited at a very busy location.
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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