Elmley Castle / Aelmleage / Almeleric / Almeya / Annelegh / Aumeleghe / Aumeleic / Aumley / Elmele / Elmeley / Elmlege / Elmleia / Elmleie / Emlaeh / Castell Emlegh

There is an entry for Elmley Castle in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO9841/elmley-castle/] [accessed 24 September 2014], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Miller (1890) reports an octagonal font here. The Victoria County History (Worcester, vol. 3, 1913) notes: "The church dates from a very early period, the walling of the chancel, which was shorter than the present one, belonging to about the end of the 11th century. [...] The first addition of which there is any definite evidence took place early in the 13th century, when the unusually wide tower was erected at the west end of the nave, which may have been lengthened at the same time. About 1340 the church was considerably enlarged [...] The font has a 13th-century square base carved with four dragons around a circular stem. The bowl dates from about 1500, and is octagonal, with plain panels inclosing shields carved with the Five Wounds, the rose, feathers, a portcullis, a trefoiled leaf with a bar on the stem, an indented fesse, and a ragged staff. [...] An old stone bowl now in the transept was brought from a farm at Kersoe." A font here is described in Noake (1868). Bond (1908) describes it as probably a 14th-century bowl with some coats of arms on the panels of the bowl rests on a 12th cent. (?) base of writhing monsters over a triple plain square plinth. Cox & Harvey (1907) simply state that it is a 15th-century font, without reference to the possible dating discrepancy of its parts. Pevsner (1968) notes: "Font. Octagonal, with shields, Perp[endicular], but on an existing base which is most probably early C13. It consists of fully carved, very menacing dragons, their tails showing a tendency to develop stiff-leaf tips [fn: Mr Stratford suggests for comparisons a dragon capital at Bretforton and also the font base at East Penard [sic] in Somerset]." The revised Brooks & Pevsner (2007) gives the date of the basin as "c. 1500". Described and illustrated in the CRSBI (2024), which notes: "The beasts on the font may be compared with carving on a capital at Bretforton (N arcade) and with the font base of East Penard, Somerset (Stratford in Pevsner 1968, 143, fn.). Pevsner proposes a date in the early 13thc., as does the VCH, but the foliate terminal on the W side of the font is typical of 12thc. work." On-site notes: the base appears clearly of an earlier period than the basin on stylistic grounds [cf. below re: the possibility of it having been recarved]; there are writhing snakes, very realistically done, probably Norman; the basin is octagonal with eight shields on it; the inside of the basin well is. lined with lead it has a central drainage hole. The base and bowl are carved from a reddish-yellow sandstone(?). On the bowl (east side) the five wounds of the Saviour; facing west the Fleur-de-Lis, emblem of the Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated. The remainder shields are the Tudor Rose, Two plumes-the Prince of Wales' Badge, the Portcullis (another Tudor badge); a Pale of Fusels, arms of the Savage Family - former owners of Elmley Castle whose memorials lie in the Church's north transept and chancel floor - before they took a new coat of arms - lions - in Elizabeth's reign. The next, which has been the subject of much conjecture - probably gives the date of the whole. It appears to be a rebus - a device alluding to the name of the bearer. This one is believed to be a briar, growing out of a tun, or barrel, alluding to John Brereton [=Briar Tun]. He was appointed Warden of the chantry in the castle, and therefore rector of the parish church, in 1510. He continued as warden until his death in 1538. As warden of the chantry and rector, he had the reight of nominating vicars to the parish church, and appointed Adam Sherington to the vicarage in 1515. Lastly comes the Ragged Staff, badge of the Earls of Warwick, to whom Elmley Castle belonged until 1487. In summary, the emblems commemorate: the reigning Royal Family; Prince of Wales; Owners of Elmley Castle; Warden of the Chantry and rector; and former owners of the castle. [NB: the bowl appears to have been re-cut from its original 13th bowl to 'modernise' it at the time].