Stockton’s historic Town Hall – or, to give it it’s traditional name, the Town House – dates from 1735 in its present form. Dominating the town from its position in the centre of the town’s High Street, it is a focal point for the town centre.
Today, the Town Hall is still used daily for meetings, and the full Council gathers in the main Council Chamber once every six weeks to seal the important decisions relating to the authority’s business. Apart from a brief period between 1969 and 1974, when Middlesbrough was the administrative centre for the now-defunct Teesside County Borough Council, Stockton Town Hall has been at the heart of all the most important decisions taken by Stockton Council since the day it was opened.
Renovations during the 1990s found that some parts of the building are even older, including some of the main structural walls in the centre of the building, which probably date from an earlier lock-up on the same site. A Town House has existed on that site perhaps as far back as 1100, although today’s structure is not the original building.
The first factual reference is in Hatfield’s Survey and dates from 1382, when a plot of land available for the Manor (the site of the Town House) existed upon payment of 4 pence (old money) per year to the Bishops of Durham. Around this time a Richard Maunce, as the “Major”, and his associates held the Farm of the Borough. Before Local Government existed, the Bishop of Durham controlled the area and established a “Farm” of the Borough, giving the Burgesses of Stockton certain limited rights and freedoms such as the power to elect their own major (and it is from this word that the current word “Mayor” derives) and conduct their own local affairs.
Now for the cache - a simple off set multi with a short walk to find your prize.
The cache can be found at - N 54° 34.ABC W 001° 18.DEF
To Find ABC
Look at the plaque on the side of the Town Hall, there is one which commemorates the visit of The Queen during her silver jubilee year
A = Number of letters in the last word, minus 5
B = Number of rivits/nails holding the plaque to the wall, minus 1
C = Number of letters in the second word on the second line
To Find DEF
Now look at the plaque which commemorates the visit of The Queen in 1956
D = 'The Duke of ?' - number of letters in the word, minus 1
E = Number of letters in the first word, second line
F = Number of letters in the third word, eighth line
Check sum - 37
Good Luck!