Stonegrave Minster, also known as the Holy Trinity parish church, is situated in the Howardian Hills an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and 5 miles (8 km) south east of Helmsley.
The religious origins of the Minister can be traced back to 757 AD when Pope Paul I wrote to Eadberht, King of Northumberland about the appointment of an abbot. It was staffed by priests following the traditions of Iona and Lindisfarne and was probably founded by an earlier King of Northumberland.
The original church was a high, narrow rectangular structure. This Saxon church was entirely rebuilt in the Norman period which included adding a tower. A drastic restoration took place in 1862-3 by George Fowler Jones who destroyed most of the medieval interior of the church.
Notable features of the current building are the oak chancel screen which is dated 1637 and the pulpit and screen between the chancel and north aisle are of a similar period. The splendid Saxon cross with a damaged wheel-head stands on a coffin lid of a similar period.
So where is the container for this Church Micro geocache?
Close to the stated coordinates are two Lightfoot gravestones.
The geocache can be found at N54 11.ABC W000 59.DAB where
A = the difference between the second number and first number in Pamela's age when she died.
B = the number of letters in the second word on the third line of John's gravestone
C = the second number in the year when John died
D = the number of the day on which John died
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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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