Warborough / Warborough cum Shillingford / Wareburewe

No individual entry found for Warborough in the Domesday survey. Illustrated in Frederick Mackenzie's copper engraving for Skelton's 1823 book 'Antiquities of Oxfordshire'. Noted in Tymms (1834): "of lead, ornamented". Described with an engraving in Paley (1844) as an Early English baptismal font made of lead. In the Guide to the Architectural Antiquities in the Neighbourhood of Oxford (1846): "The Font is of lead, and worthy of particular notice: the figures under the arcade round the base are repetitions of one type representing an archbishop raining the right hand in the attitude of blessing, and holding in the left a crozier [...]. There is one very similar to it at Long Wittenham, most of the ornaments are identical; it is Early English work, but the pedestal is of stone with Perpendicular panelling, similar to that at Dorchester". The basin sides are ornamented with a church-like building with four-arch arcade, each arch containing a bishop figure with mitre and staff; the tower and the upper part of the church are adorned with two round motifs each, one a floral design and the other a fan-like design. There are four such buildings around the basin side, all similar. The stone base is octagonal and has a trefoil Gothic arch on each side. Paley (1844) dates the base to the 15th century. Described in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848: "the font is of lead, on an octagonal stone shaft". The Ecclesiastical and Architectural Topography of England: Oxfordshire (1850) notes: "The font is of lead, of N[orman] work, on a P[erpendicular] stone pedestal." Noted in Gardner's Gazetteer (1852) [www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/d.asp] [accessed 30 June 2007]: "an ancient circular lead font". Mentioned in The Church Builder (issue no. 47 January 1873: 20-21). Listed in Cox (1875). In Andre (1882) and Lethaby (1893) as Norman. Murray (1882) dates it Early English, after the Architectural Guide, and mentions an illustration of the font in it. Described in 'Church notes...' (1887) in the context of some "notes [that] were taken between 1835 and 1840": "The font resembles that of Dorchester, but is of inferior work. The bowl is cylindrical, of lead, adorned with a band of saints in relief, seated under arches, some round headed, others formed by inclined lintels, as in Saxon work. The stem is of Perpendicular or Decorated date, an octagon, and much enriched." Lethaby (1893) reckons it was "made in the same workshop apparently" as the font at Long Wittenham. Described in Cox-Harvey (1907): "The circular fonts of Warborough, Oxon., and Long Wittenham, Berks.[sic, though in Oxon.], are nearly identical; they have arcading with figures at the base, and a variety of geometrical rounded patterns above." Ettlinger (1962) states errouneously that it is "lined with lead". The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Oxford, vol. 18, 2016) notes: "In the 11th century Warborough (as part of the Benson royal estate) was presumably subject to Benson church, and nominally remained so in 1279. By then, however, Benson's status had been downgraded following its grant to Dorchester abbey c.1140–2, apparently along with Warborough and its other dependencies. [...] Whether Warborough already had a chapel by that date is unclear, but parts of the surviving building date from c.1200, and its lead font may be slightly earlier. [...] The earliest surviving part is the chancel, which is continuous with the nave and has a south doorway and other features of c.1200 [...] The church interior retains a late 12th-or early 13th-century lead font on a stone base [...] in 1588 the churchwardens were ordered to remove a cross from the font and make a new plain cover." The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SU5990393642] notes: "Church. Early C13, C14 and C15; tower 1666; chancel restored 1881 by Bodley and Garner. [...] The Romanesque lead font has arcaded sides and stands on a C14 stone base with traceried panels; the strapwork cover is probably C17."