If you are visiting Swine by car, please park just outside the village (parking coordinates given) and walk the short distance to the church. Please DO NOT park on the verges in the village itself - these are beautifully maintained by the residents with bulbs flowering in spring and we would hate to see them spoiled!
The terrain is quite flat here but there is a gravel path through the churchyard which may be difficult for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
The small village of Swine, formerly the site of a Cistercian priory and in the 19th century mostly rebuilt by the Crown, lies near the western boundary of the extensive parish, only 3 km. north and north-east of the built-up area of Hull. Its name is Anglian and alludes to a creek, possibly of the river Humber.
There was almost certainly a church at Swine in Holderness by 1086, however the only recording of this is the manor records when a priest was present. Swine Priory was founded in 1150, so a church with both nun’s facilities and lay facilities was in place by that time. The Nun’s Chaplain was supposed to provide a perpetual vicar to the parish, but diocesan records show that in 1308 the priory was castigated for failing to provide. The church was cruciform in structure, with the lay end, unusually at the east end, and the Nun’s west of the central crossing tower. Shortly after the dissolution the Nun’s part was demolished, with only a few remains visible by 1784.
Apart from Swine village, the ancient parish included almost twenty villages or hamlets, half a dozen of which are now represented by isolated farmhouses and may always have been very small.
The Priory Church of St Mary the Virgin was designated a Grade I listed building in 1966.
A detailed history of Swine and its church is available here: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/east/vol7/pp107-118#anchorn180
The cache is not hidden at the church itself but you will need to visit the churchyard to get the information needed for the final coordinates. This cache is a revival of a former church micro that was placed nearby by Busy Lissy Bunch (GC2WH1J).
Start by visiting the churchyard. It’s a beautiful place to visit on a clear sunny day. Have a walk around the outside of the building - some interesting faces keep watch over the windows!
Stage 1. Go to: N 53 48.374 W 000 16.734
What is the date at the top of the drainpipe? ABCD
Stage 2. Now go to the gate at the entrance to the churchyard:
N 53 48.395 W 000 16.687
What is the phone number on the church information board? 01964 EFGHIJ
The final location is at: N 53 48.(H-I)(A+F)(E+I)
W 000 16.E(G+J)(B-A)
You are looking for a well-disguised nano.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html