This is a series of multi-caches that I intend to place around the rural churches of Monmouthshire. There are so many lovely churches around the area that are undervisited, so I hope to attract a few more visitors to these great spots. I shall add to the series as I go along.
All of the caches start at the church where you need to find the answers to a couple of questions to allow you to find the final cache position, and none are intended to be particularly difficult (I would prefer you to find the caches) or are more than 1/2 a kilometre from the church.
This is the fortieth in the series and starts at the little church in the village of Devauden, north-west of Chepstow. Best not do this after dark as you are very close to houses.
The following oinformation is taken directly from the Devauden village website as it gives the information more definitively than I can:
The first thing you will notice about the building of St James' Church in Devauden is that it is not on the usual east / west orientation you’d expect for a church. This is because the building was first a school. It is one of the oldest buildings in the village and is Grade II listed because of its historic interest.
In 1814, the Duke of Beaufort, the local landowner, donated the land and paid for the construction of the school building. It opened in 1815, and James Davies, who had previously been a solicitor’s clerk, a weaver, a shopkeeper, a rag and bone man, and a teacher at a school in Usk, was appointed to be the schoolmaster at the age of 50. This building was the first national school (that is, free and open to all children in the area) in all of Wales. The church was not only the schoolroom but also James Davies’ home. James Davies was a very pious man, and led a very frugal life so that he could give money to the causes he believed in. He paid for the renovations of Kilgwrrwg church, which had been used as a sheep-pen, but not many people from the Devauden area wanted to go there for Divine Service. James Davies then started to save up, and raise funds for a new school building, and the conversion of the existing school into a church. He paid the £45 that it cost to add the chancel to the school from his own pocket (his annual salary was only £20), and the first service was held here in 1829. It took until 1838 before enough funds had been raised to endow the church (that is, make it a permanently maintained church).
To find the whereabouts of the final cache location look for the answers to the questions below and replace the letters for the appropriate numbers in the co-ords at the bottom. So here we go:
There isn’t much to go here, but anyway, walk up to the porch and look up to the bellcote - how many metal crosses on top are there? This is A
Underneath the bell there are some semi-circular decorations in the stone - how many? This is B
Underneath these there are some stone supports that protrude forward (above the window, but below the semicircles) - how many? This is C
Look at the door handle now and you will see it has a backplate, but how many points does the backplate have? This is D.
Go to the far end of the building and you will see a weather vane with an animal on it. If this is a lion then E=5, if it is a bull then E=7, but if it is a cockerel then E=9.
Head back to the little notice board by the gate you entered through and you will see there is a small plaque at the bottom of the board (facing the road) with a rather unusual dedication that starts "Giving thanks for the gift of ..............?" The position in the alphabet of the first letter in the name? This is F.
So replace your answers in this co-ord and off you go to get the cache! Final position N 51° 4A.(E-F)FD W 002° 44.(B+B)E(C+D-B)
You are looking for a small-sized cache with room for a couple of swaps at a spot with good views.