Elmswell / Elmeswell

Gough (1792) writes: "septagon, having on it the word [non-Latin alphabet transcription of IHEDGE (?)] deeply engraven in large letters, and three shells in a escutcheon". Gough's footnote: "Bibl. Top, Brit. No. LII. p. 17." Poole (1842) notes three heptagonal fonts (Elmeswell in Suffolk, Bowden Mayne in Licolnshire and Bowden Magna in Leicestershire), though he remarks that they are not "worthy of special notice". Parker (1855) describes a "very fine" octagonal font of the Decorated period, "supported on four eagles; the basin is panelled with shields; five of them are charged with the letters H. E. D. G. E. consecutively, probably the name of the donor." The National Gazetteer of 1868 reports "a curious antique font" in this church. An article in the Bury and Norwich Post (12/11/1872) on the re-opening of St. John's reads: "The font, an octagonal one, bears on its faces a series of shields, one of which is blank, the next has three scallops, and the remainder bear the letters I : H : E 😀 : G : E. A search in the British Museum has shown that on the original south porch (now no longer existing) was a prayer for the soul of John Hedge and his wife, and therefore be no reasonable doubt that the erection of the font was due to his pious bounty. The font has been restored by Messrs. Rattee and Kett, of Cambridge, at the expense of the Rector's mother, Mrs. Luke, sen., and stands at the west end of the south aisle, which it is proposed to form into a baptistery." Listed in Paley (1844) as heptagonal baptismal font. Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font "of heptagonal shape" but, later in the same source, they write: "The octagonal font at Elmswell, Suffolk (D.) [i.e., Decorated period, 1250-1350], is a fine one, supported on four eagles; five of the panels have H., E., D., G., F. consecutively, probably the name of the donor". Bond (1908) describes it as a heptagonal bowl. Listed in Cautley (1982) in a group of 15th-century heraldic fonts in Suffolk.