The cache is not at the published co-ordinates, nor in the grounds of the church. There is a car park in front of the church. This is a remote church with a house nearby so please respect them and do not visit after dark.
The Church
In a pretty setting on a bend in the River Wye, looking across to the Herefordshire hills, this delightful church is well worth a visit just to enjoy its rich collection of monuments.
The land on which St Cuthbert's is built was given after the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror to Walter de Lacy. The estate later passed by marriage to the Scudamore family, who became its patrons. It remained in the possession of that family until 1909–10 when it was bought by Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, 1st Baronet.
The Domesday Book records a priest at Holme Lacy, which implies that a church was present at that time. The church is now in an isolated position, but earthworks in its vicinity suggest that a village existed nearby, which subsequently became deserted.
The fabric of the present church originates from the 13th century. The tower was added in the 14th century, and a north chapel and south porch followed in the 16th century. In 1833 a gallery was built and an organ given to the church. By 1924 the gallery had been removed and the old organ replaced by a new one. During this year extensive repairs to the roof, arcade and floors were carried out at a cost of about £1,000 (equivalent to £52,000 in 2016).
As mentioned, the Scudamore family were patrons of the church from Medieval times until the twentieth century, and their monuments are a spectacular treasure. John Scudamore, who died in 1571 lies beside his wife on a tomb chest, decked out in full armour. James Scudamore, who died in 1668, wears Roman costume in a great wedding cake of a wall monument - possibly by Grinling Gibbons. There is also a Victorian monument to a naval captain shows a fleet of fully rigged ships. There are even some twentieth-century monuments - in the churchyard is a memorial to Edwyn Scudamore Stanhope, who died in 1933, pictured as a heroic knight in armour.
Beautiful stained glass also delights the eye. Most of it is nineteenth and twentieth century, though the chancel north window is made up of fragments of medieval glass.
In the nave is a striking window showing two of King Arthur's knights, given in memory of Archibald Lucas-Tooth, who died in World War I. His father, Sir Robert, is commemorated in the wonderful glass in the great east window, showing St Michael weighing souls.
Other treasures to look for include the unusual seventeenth-century font, with its elegant stem and richly decorated bowl, and the carvings on the medieval stalls, showing angels, men, a horned demon and a dog.
The Cache
To locate the cache, find the answers to the following questions:
Go to the rear of the church and find the tombs. In which year was Helen born? = 185A
In which month did she die? = B
Go through the metal gate to find the statue. He is the Earl of where? How many letters in the name = CD
How many complete stirrups are there on his shield? = E
The cache can be found at:
N 52° 00.(A+D)(E-C)(B+C) W 2° 37.(A+E)(A*D)(B-C-D-E)
Checksum - A+B+C+D+E=19
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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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