West Rounton / Rongeston / Rungeton / Runtune

There is a multiple-place entry for [West] Rounton [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/NZ4103/west-rounton/] [accessed 29 November 2019] but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. A font here is noted, with an engraving by Orlando Jewitt, in Field (1867) [NB: Field's text on fonts had appeared originally in The Church Builder (no. 22, April 1867: 74) [The series of articles was reprinted in book form four years later], and (1871): "The Font at West Rounton, of which we have given an engraving, is one of many examples of this. The Centaur, the arrow from whose bow is just about to pierce the monster, probably represents the Deity conquering Satan, or perhaps the continual conflict of the baptized Christian against sin and Satan. The other figure may represent the Divine and human natures united in our Lord. This exceedingly curious Font was discovered during the recent restoration of the little Norman Church of West Rounton, Yorkshire. It was found under the pulpit, of which it formed the base, having been turned over so that the bowl rested on the floor, and so carefully plastered that there was no external indication of its original form. It has now been restored to its former position near the south-west door of the church." Described in Bulmer's Directory... (1890): "old font, which is supposed to be Saxon work". Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period ornamented with "rude carvings". Described in Bond (1908) as a baptismal font of the Norman period showing "a centaur with bow and arrow [...] shooting a man at short range". This font, says Bond (ibid.), "was found in 1860 upside down beneath the pulpit, which it helped to support." The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (York North Riding, vol. 1, 1914) notes: "The earliest part of the present church dates from about 1150, and though the walls have been much rebuilt they follow the original lines. The only parts of the 12th-century church are the chancel arch and part of the south doorway. The rest is modern restoration of 1860 [...] The font is of 12th-century date, and is an unusually interesting one. Until the time of the restoration of the church it served as a base for the pulpit, being reversed so that the bowl rested on the floor. It was so covered with plaster that there was no external indication of its original form. When it was cleaned, the bowl, which is circular in plan, was found to be carved with some of the signs of the Zodiac, the Ram and the Bull and the Centaur with his bow and arrow shooting at a human figure with a radiant face, evidently representing the sun; below the top edge is a round mould with a zigzag ornament. It has been reset for use on a modern base and stem near the south doorway." In Morris (1931): "circular, early Norm[an] font, of unusual interest, with rude carving of centaur, etc." Pevsner (1985) describes this as "Norman [...], a puzzling piece, the iconography of which (as so often with Norman fonts and tympana) defeats research. The bowl is round and has, appart from crude zigzag, a big bearded face, a centaur shooting an arrow towards it (Saggitarius), and two affronted beasts with one human head in common." On-site notes: only the cylindrical basin remains of this Norman font; the crudely carved iconographic program shows 1)large head of a man with either a vine or a serpent on the left side; 2)a centaur points its bow and arrow to the man's head in 1; 3)a vine or plant motif over a chevron motif; 4)two lion bodies share a single head [see also some Scandinavian and Norman fonts with this motif]. The basin is badly broken in some spots but still retains the original hinges for the cover on the upper rim; the damaged area, now facing the wall, may have had another head on it; the base and lower base appear modern. [Bond (ibid., p. 71) writes about a small fontlet "which, having been placed at the rim of the font for photographic purposes, has been supposed to be a hand font, intended to be carried to private houses where baptism was to be administered in emergency; for which purpose, however, it is far too heavy."] The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: NZ4139003409] notes: "Church. C12,almost completely rebuilt 1860 [...] Font: C12. C19 plinth and round column, C12 round bowl with carving depicting a big bearded face, a centaur shooting an arrow towards it (sagittarius, and 2 affronted beasts with one human head in common)."