Withamside Skip Multi-Cache
Lincolnshire Mountaineer: Due to the pedantic attitude of the local reviewer, this cache is now archived.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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One of a set of multi-caches encompassing several villages along the River Witham in South Western Lincolnshire. This one has a time related theme and the mathematical transposition needed to work out the final cache position will require some thought!
Close to the first co-ordinates is a convenient parking area. If you are feeling energetic and brave you could complete the whole cache on foot, a circular route of about 10 miles which will be muddy in winter. It will entail a degree of map reading skills to enable you to skirt the live firing area, which is well signposted.
1. Stand next to John Pettigrew and find the timepiece. Add together the sixth and seventh numerals and subtract them from the first numeral. This will give you AB for the cache location.
An imposing 13th Century church which owes much to the rector Canon Frederick Heathcote Sutton who was responsible for the restoration of the derelict building between 1873 and 1888. A prolific artist, he designed and made the stained glass windows, chandeliers and candlesticks locally with the help of Coldron’s the renowned local blacksmiths. The forge and most of his work remains to this day. See if you can find the carving of man showing his bottom in the South Porch!
(To find the next co-ordinate, subtract the seventh numeral from the first to find X, numeral one will give you Y and subtract the seventh numeral from the second to give you Z.)
2. What is the date of time at 53 0X.X37N 000 3Y.Z10W?
Subtract the second number from the third to give you H, the second number will give you I, and finally subtract the first number from the fourth number to give you J for the cache location.
Parts of this church are dated from the end of the 12th Century with later 13th Century, Tudor and Elizabethan additions. It was said that it fell into disrepair when the Black Death cut a swathe through the landscape in 1348-49, 1584-1595 and again in 1600. Up until 1540, it was however part of the Manor of the Abbots of Thornton, notorious for maintaining their right to hang offenders for even minor offences. Extensively restored in 1890 at a cost of £1093, it has fine examples of 17th Century graffiti carved in the internal walls.
(To find the next co-ordinate, the second number will give you K, the first number added to the second number and the result halved will give you L and L minus one will give you M.)
3. What is the Latin inscription on the timepiece at 53 0K.21KN 000 L0.M05W? Change the letters of the alphabet to numbers (i.e. 1-26) and work out the following: Subtract the numerical value of the ninth letter from the tenth letter of the inscription to equal C, subtract the value of the first letter from the fifth to equal D and subtract the value of the fourth letter from the eighth to equal E for the cache location. The inscription will be quite relevant as you are doing this!
Another interesting building, the Mortuary Chapel dates from around 1350 or earlier and was the burial place for the Lords of the Manor. It contains several impressive Norman stone effigies and tombs as well as a brass plate commemorating two generations of the Disney family (see details in Withamside Hop for a famous ‘descendant’) and the founding of a chantry in Holland in 1518. It also contains two Polish memorials dedicated to members of 300 and 301 Sqns who flew from nearby RAF Swinderby.
(To find the next co-ordinate, the seventh letter equals P, the second letter minus five equals Q and two thirds of the tenth letter equals R.)
4. If time is short at 53 0P.493N 000 4Q.R62W, what was his age? Add 5 to this to give you FG for the cache location.
This Norman church, extensively rebuilt in 1770 stands alone by the banks of the Witham, a reminder of the village that moved away from the land to the West which was prone to flooding. It has since catered for the surrounding small farming community and is now part of the Withamside United Parish, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006. The Tower Arch dates from the late 13th Century, the West Tower consists of re-used medieval masonry while the roof was totally restored in 1903-4.
You should now have the co-ordinates to enable you to find the cache at 53 AB.CDE N 000 FG.HIJ W.
The cache is a medium sized sandwich box.
If you are completing the cache on foot, make a point of viewing one of the oldest Quaker meeting houses in this country on the way back to the car park. Dating from 1701 it is situated on Meeting House Lane, is still in use today (serving one local family for 13 generations) and carries one of the highest Grade 1 listings possible.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng gur obggbz bs gur svefg fhccbeg ba gur evtug.
Treasures
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