Bootle

Noted in Lysons (1806-1833): "The font in Bootle church is octagonal, with two shields on each side; one of them contains a bugle horn and the initials J.H. in text han: an inscription in text hand, 'In nomine patris & filii,' &c. is continued through several others." Noted also in Mannix & Whelan's Directory of Cumberland (1847): "The font is a capacious marble basin of an octagonal form, having in each square two shields, with the following inscription in text hand: "In nomine patris & filii & spirit' sancti". Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the 14th century in the Decorated style with an inscription. Cox (1913) writes that the inscription in Old-English characters has been read as: "In Nomine Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti", "yet awats a satisfactory reading". Pevsner (1967) is suspicious of the date of the font: "Font. Inscribed R.B. and in shields: In nomine Patris, Filii et Spiritus Sancti. The inscription is in black letter. When was this done? The arms are those of the Hudleston family. Does this refer to c.1535 (rector R. Brown), or could it be a self-conscious historicism of the early C19?" [NB: it is not clear whether or not there are two sets of initials (JH and RB) or just one -- to be completed]