St. Stephen-by-Launceston / Sen Stefan / St. Stephen juxta Launceston / Saint Stephen juxta Launceston

Noted in Lysons (1806-1833) as one of a group of remarkable fonts in this county. Noted and illustrated in Upcott (1818) [with reference to Lyson]. There is a 5 July 1821 pencil-on-paper drawing of this font by John Chessell Buckler (1793-1894) in the British Library collections [Shelfmark: Additional MS 36360 - Item number: f.193]. Blight (1856) notes the "Early English feeling […] which forms a band round the lower part of the bowl of the font in St. Stephen's church, Launceston" [and mentions its illustration in Journ. Arch. Camb. Fifth series, vol. xii]. Listed in Cox (1912) as one of a group "of characteristically Cornish design": "Circular font, 42 in. high and 33 in diameter, is a good Norm[an] example; there is a triple cable moulding round rim, and a handsome flowing pattern at base of bowl." The font at St Stephen-by-Launceston has a bucket-shaped basin raised on a plain cylindrical pedestal base; there is a band of braid-like motif around the upper basin side, a band of foliage motif around ther lower side, and a rope moulding at the lower rim of the basin. Listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a font decorated with a rope moulding among other motifs. Noted in Pevsner (1970) as "simple Norman". Noted and illustrated in A Snap in Time [http://www.caerkief.co.uk/Churches/StephenbyL.html] [accessed 23 November 2009]. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SX3247985700] notes: "Norman chancel surviving from collegiate church of Augustinian Priory founded 940AD which later moved to St Thomas (qv); consecrated 1259 and extended 1419 and early C16, restored 1883 […] Medieval holy water stoup in porch. Fittings: round Norman font of volcanic stone with 3 cabled cornice to round shaft on moulded rings to square base; cinquefoil headed aumbry niche to south wall of chancel; C18 holy water stoop in porch".