Gayton Thorpe / Geyton Thorp / Torp

There are several entries for this "Torp" in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TF7418/gayton-thorpe/][accessed 18 November 2013], one of which, reported in Blomefield (1815-1810) as having been seized from "Turchill" by the Norman "Hermerus de Ferrariis" [aka Hermer de Ferrers], who had the "moiety of a church belonged to it, endowed with 30 acres"; the other moiety is reported in the hands of the Hastings family, one of which, Sir Thomas de Hastings, "gave to the abbey of West-Derham, in Norfolk, a moiety of the advowson of this church, in 1227, which was appropriated to the said abbey. [...] Here were 2 medieties in this church, one given to West Derham abbey, in 1227, by Sir Thomas Hastings, and was appropriated to that abbey, valued at 6 marks per ann. the other moiety was not appropiated, but the presentation to it was granted to Pentney abbey, by Sir John de Thorp and Alice his wife, in the 16th of Eward II. valued also at 6 marks, and remains a rectory at this time; one of these medieties was called Philip's portion." Blomefield adds: "The church of Geyton Thorp is dedicated to St. Mary, and is a single ancient pile, covered with lead, has a round tower at the west end, (with two bells,) and is covered with a cap." The font of this church is listed in Cautley (1949) and in Anderson (1955) as a Seven-Sacrament font, and it is studied in Nichols (1994), who dates the work to the third quarter of the 15th century and identifies the iconographic programme [the order given here follows L->R, rather than Nichols']: 1)Mary enthroned; 2)Baptism; 3)Confirmation; 4)Penance; 5)Eucharist; 6)Marriage; 7)Holy Orders; 8)Extreme Unction. Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999). Described and illustrated in detail in Knott (2006), who comments: "Gayton Thorpe church does have one of the great medieval treasures of Norfolk, one of the forty-odd Seven Sacrament font series. This is rather cruder than most, with no cusping or tracery, but simple carvings set in plain frames. However, some of the representations are particularly interesting, and the eighth 'odd' panel is a representation of the Blessed Virgin and child. Apart from this one, and the Last Rites panel, the font is in pretty good condition. There has been little iconoclasm here. The Blessed Virgin is the easterly panel, and then anti-clockwise from there are Baptism (NE), the Priest filling the font with water while the mother holds the baby; Ordination (N), the ordinand, unusually, standing rather than kneeling, and a dove descending on his head; Confession (NW), the confessee kneeling at a shriving bench before the Priest, while the devil sneaks off behind her; Mass (W), perhaps the most interesting representation here, the Priest dispensing Communion to kneeling communicants while a houseling cloth catches the crumbs; Matrimony (SW) a conventional arrangement; Confirmation (S), another conventional arrangement, and Last Rites (SE), a rather ambitious 3D effect with figures standing on both sides of the bed." The panels are damaged, less than usual; the eighth side of the basin has an enthroned and crowned Madonna and Child; the next side to the right has an infant-baptism-in-a-font scene; the scenes are separated by thick moulding/piping, which continues down the angles of the underbowl and stem; the underbowl has a large blank shields on each side; there is a trefoiled arch or window on each side of the octagonal stem; the piping ends on the lower base on moulded bases, as if columns; splayed lower base damaged. Other damage is obvious, especially to the scenes on the basin sides. Flat octagonal wooden cover; appears modern. [NB: we have no information on the font of the original pre-Conquest church here]