The present church was built in 1858 on the site of a medieval church established by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem around 1190. It was at the centre of a "hospital" which was a staging post for pilgrims on their way to the holy centres on the coast. It became quite wealthy and the Knights of St John maintained the law in the area. Following the Owain Glyndwr uprising it was destroyed by fire and it was rebuilt but law and order was breaking down in the region and the rights of sanctuary from the king's law led to it becoming a refuge for outlaws, criminals and bandits. All monasteries were closed by Henry VIII in 1540 which brought to an end the power and influence of the Knights of St John. The old church lasted until the middle of nineteenth century when it was demolished and the present church was built on its site.
The present church does contain some effigies and memorials from the original building.
The cache is not on church property but you will need to enter the church grounds.
The published coordinates will bring you to an information panel about the history of the church. You will need to answer the following questions to work out the position of the cache.
1. The existing church was built in 18A8.
2. The Hospitaller Knights of St John built a hospice here around BC90.
3. In which century was the Order of St John outlawed? This is D.
4. Sion Dafydd Berson was buried in 16E6.
The cache can be found at:
N53° 01.(A-B)(D-E-C)(B+C+B) W003° 43.(D/4)(A+E-C-C)(E/2)
CHECKSUM: A+B+C+D+E = 29
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If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please visit
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
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