Oxford No. 1 / Oxeneford

There are thirteen entries for Oxford [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SP5106/oxford/] [accessed 10 November 2016]; two of them mentions a church in each. Illustrated in Skelton (1821). Described and illustrated in Neale (1825): "The stone font in this church […] is veriy rich in its ornaments, and is probably of the date of Edward III.'s time […] It rises from a comparatively small base, and expands in eight divisions, highly enriched with very bold tracery, deeply cut, forming a pointed arch, and a large trefoil, above which is a fillet sculptured with foliage; and on every one of the eight sides of the uppermost division of the font, are three quatrefoils, each containing a plain shield. The top is formed of wood, and is removable at pleasure, by means of a small crane." Simpson (1828) writes: "Edward the Third, in the eleventh year of his reign, A.D. 1337, renewed the south aisle of this church, which still remains. The Font is nearly of the same date. The shafts below the bases to the torus moulding at each angle are fluted, which is not usual in work so early. The execution is very good and the tracery cut very deep, which, united to the beauty of the design, renders the whole very handsome." Poole (1842) notes that this font is "an example of the decorated style", and is mentioned in "the memorials of Oxford" and in "the glossary of Architecture". The Ecclesiastical and Architectural Topography of England: Oxfordshire (1850) notes: "a small church much of which is in the D[ecorated] style [...] its font is a fine one." Described and illustrated in Bond (1908): octagonal mounted font; the upper basin side has three niches per side deply carved with a single tiny shield in each; the eight sides of the basin have deep-relief tracery forming clover-leaf shapes. The stem of the base is octagonal and the lower base and plinth are the same shape. Noted in Long (1923) as belonging to the Decorated [or 'Second Pointed'] period. The Victoria County History (Oxford, 1979) notes: "The church was confirmed to St. George's in the Castle c. 1127, having probably been acquired by Robert d'Oilly at the Conquest and given to St. George's at its foundation in 1074. [...] The early-12th-century church consisted of a nave and chancel, the Norman arch of which survived until 1841 [...] The octagonal font dates from the late 14th century." Noted in Verey & Brooks (1999-2002): "Fonts. One of 1839, a close copy of the late C14 font in St Mary Magdalen, Oxford.-- Half of another, fixed to the E[ast] wall of the S[outh] aisle, has E[arly] E[nglish] decoration probably worked on a Norman bowl." On-site notes: the font is in a fairly good state of repair, raised on a two-step octagonal plinth; the font cover is octagonal and flat, with heavy metal decorations and ring handle. There is a miniature reproduction of the font and cover in this church "made by Minton or Wedgwood around 1840, inscribed St. Mary Mag. Oxford. It is from the collection of the Cecil Higgins Gallery and is on display at the Bedford Gallery, Bedford, Bedfordshire." [source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FontStMaryMagOxford.JPG] [accessed 13 November 2011]