Padiham / Padiam / Padingham / Padyngham

Raines' annotated edition of Gastrell's Notitia cestriensis (1845- ) notes about 'Padiam' church: "This Church was originally a Chantry, founded before the year 1451 by John Marsshall L.L.B. [...] The East window contains the arms of Abbot Paslew [...] The Font was probably presented by Abbot Paslew about the year 1525, and bears his arms upon it. At this time the Chapel is supposed to have obtained the rights of Baptism and Sepulture, and thus to have become Parochial In the year 1650." Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a heraldic baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. Described in the Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 6, 1911): "The old octagonal stone font presented by John Paslew, last Abbot of Whalley, in 1525 has been preserved. Its sides are panelled and carved with the emblems of the Passion and the sacred monograms in shields, and a shield charged with three molets." Noted in Pevsner (1969) and in Hartwell & Pevsner (2009): "Font. Octagonal, Late Perp[endicular], with panels containing elementary carvings of the Instruments of the Passion, the M for Mary, the IHS for Jesus, and a shield (cf. Altham)." The Parish guide (4th ed.: 4-5) [http://padihamparish.org/ShortGuideStL4thEd.pdf] [accessed 30 September 2010] locates the font in the Starkie Chapel, and describes the font, and the 1938 wooden cover "given by the Noble family in 1938"; the latter has panels with the of the Diocese of Blackburn, emblem of coal mines, image of St. Leonard, patron saint of the church, emblem of local commerce (scales, money, fishes), arms of the province of York, emblem of farming, emblem of Padiham, emblem of textile mills, etc.