The church
“This old stone ark moored on the hump back of the Whin Sill.” is how the local poet Linda France described this fascinating little church. And the Guardian added “In this refuge, the wind is muffled by deep stone walls, a fastness against weather and gale”.
As the above suggests, this tiny church is in the wilds of Northumberland atop an outcrop of the Whin Sill. St Aidan’s church at Thockrington is one of the oldest in the county. It was built by the Norman family of Umfraville in AD1100. It remained in their possession, with adjoining lands, until 1226, when they were forfeited to the Archbishop of York as compensation for disturbances to the peace of the Prior of Hexham and damage done to the Archbishop's lands by Robert Umfraville. The Archbishop assigned the church and its revenues as an endowment for a prebend in his cathedral in York. This arrangement lasted 625 years, until the death of the last prebend in 1851, when it was merged into the diocese of Durham.
It is a Grade 2 listed building. The interior is simple, with smoke-white walls. Round Norman arches, bent with movement and age, open onto a tunnel-vaulted chancel. There is a small, operational bell in the tower.
This very large parish (in terms of land) is the home of some 50 people and the last wedding here was 5 years ago. Worship takes place here every other Sunday morning.
Where is Thockrington village?
Documentary evidence of the population of the settlement at Thockrington dates back at least to the 1296 Lay Subsidy Roll, when 18 tax payers are recorded, through to the early nineteenth century when 25-30 cottages existed. In 1847 a returning sailor reputedly brought cholera, and the village was wiped out, the houses being burnt. Apart from some foundations pressing through the turf, a single farmstead and the church are all that remain.
The churchyard
Despite its remote location it has its share of important connections. The imposing Shaftoe obelisk, in incongruous pink granite, contrasts with the modest round-headed stone of Lord Beveridge. He was the author of the modern Welfare State, including the NHS and social security for all, introduced in July 1948. A plain, initialled lump of rock marks the grave of Connie Leathart, one of the first British female pilots. In 2016, Dr Montserrat Verdaguer was fined for the unofficial burial of the ashes of Tom Sharpe (the satirical novelist), along with a bottle of whisky, the writer’s favourite pen and a Cuban cigar.
And finally there is in the churchyard the very worn and weathered, hollow base of a churchyard cross which has a faint, small figure placed head down on it (thought to be St. Peter being crucified upside down?). Sitting about 2 feet tall, this fragment is thought to be Saxon and has been Grade II listed.
Access
The church is normally open during the day. Services are held every other week at 09.00 on Sundays and last less than an hour. Park on the grass verge and avoid blocking field gates. To reach the church requires a short walk on an unmade path up a private field of rough pasture to the churchyard gate. Stock will normally be found in the field and the path can be slippy/muddy.
The cache
The cache is hidden at N 55° 06.ABC W 002° 03.DEF. The answers will be found inside the church.
A = The number of pews divided by 4
B = Sarah George died 18B6
C = Among the loose papers giving information for visitors is an old map with a handwritten year 17?9 at the bottom. C is the missing number divided by 2
D = The number of COMPLETE arches in the pulpit woodwork
E = The full text of the poem quoted at the top of this page can be found in the church. It is small (no bigger than a postcard). E is the number of lines in the full poem minus 1
F = Cynthia Duncombe Shaftoe died in 198F
CHECKSUM = 32
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