Grewelthorpe
a North Yorkshire Village
Hidden bottle in Church
There is a hidden bottle in St James’s Church Grewelthorpe which contains items of historical interest
first installed there in 1845.
It was reported in the Knaresborough Post in 1880.
The church was being prepared for the Harvest Festival celebrations and the expected visit of the Lord Bishop of the diocese. It was reported that the chancel carpet was in poor condition and it was hoped to lay new tiles before the service. The ladies of the village had embroidered a new beautiful altar cloth and hangings.
The tiles were supplied by Messrs. Wooliscombe of Leeds. and were laid by Mr. Carse. At the same time a much needed improvement was effected in the arrangement of the chancel steps, which were very inconvenient for the lame and infirm. A brass plate, engraved and enamelled by Mr. Jno. Pickard engraver of Grewelthorpe. was let into the top step, stating that the reredos was erected by the vicar in memory of relatives, from the remains of the old organ case of Ripon Cathedral.
In carrying out these improvements a bottle was found containing 3 copper coins, a newspaper from 1845 and fragments of parchment entirely destroyed by the damp, the seal and the cork had perished considerably.
The paper, the coins, a copy of the Ripon Gazette and a written document containing all facts of interest in the Parish to the present date, were replaced in the bottle and sealed with an imperishable glass stopper.
It doesn’t say in the report but we must assume that the bottle was returned to its hiding place beneath the chancel steps.
The service took place followed by refreshments.
In the evening there was an exhibition of curiosities and a lecture by the vicar about his Eastern tour.