Carrickfergus / Carraig Fhearghais / Carrick / Carrig Fergus

Described and illustrated in Pike (1989: 32-33): "This font looks like Bonlan stone or limestone. It is in use. It is square and bevelled halfway down each corner. The reconstructed base has a central drain which is blocked. There is a brass basin fitted into the bowl." The Parish web site [http://www.saintnicholas.org.uk/tour3.html] notes: "In 1952 it [i.e., the covered porch] was most happily made into a Baptistry and the present font, which was only re-discovered in recent years, was probably originally used as the font in the ancient Abbey at Woodburn." [We are grateful to Dr. Rachel Moss, and to Trinity College, Dublin, for the copy of Ms. Pike's work, and to Ms. Joan Pike for her kind permission to reproduce her original drawings]. [It is possible that either the font at St. Nicholas was originally from a nearby monastery, or that there may be a second font in this locality from either of the two local monasteries: "one known as St Mary's Abbey, Goodburn (now known as Woodburn) which was also founded by John de Corcy for the Premonstratensian Order of Monks"; the other was "a Franciscan Priory [...] founded in 1232 by Hugh de Lacy"; [...] "one of the few surviving pieces of these Monasteries is the Font, which is believed to have come from the Abbey at Woodburn." -- source: a paper by Robert Bashford presented at the Meeting of The Royal Chapter of Research No. 22, in the masonic Hall, Victoria St., Carrickfergus, on 25 May 2002 [http://homepage.eircom.net/RoyalArchChapter222/Royal%20Arch%20Masonry...]. There is also a modern font in use in this church.