Clewer / Cleware / Clewarth / Clifware / Cliueware / Clivore / Cliware / Cloworth / Cluer / Cluwar / Clyvware / Clyvware /

There is an entry for this Clewer [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SU9576/clewer/] [accessed 13 March 2015], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Paley (1844) lists a "leaden font" in Clewer, Berks., and so do Batty (1848), Cox (1875), Murray (1882), Andre (1882), who dates it to the Norman period, and in Lethaby (1893) [NB: these are the only references found to a lead font in Clewer -- the Norman font we have otherwise documented for this location is made of stone, not metal]. It is listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period, without indication of the medium. The Victoria County History (Berkshire, vol. 3, 1923) notes: "The south chapel and aisle appear to be the chancel and nave of an early 12th-century church enlarged later in the same century by the addition of a north aisle, which was in turn enlarged to form a new nave, and a second north aisle added, c. 1180. [...] the font, though restored, is of 12th-century date. It is circular with an arcade of eight arches on pilasters, with carved spandrels, an interlaced moulding above, and a cable moulding round the base." Listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a Norman font the basin of which is decorated with an "arcade in relief, imitating closely the structural arcade of the period"; also with zigzag or chevron motif on it. Noted and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008), which observes: "The font is one of several arcaded examples in the county, e.g. Enborne, Avington, Radley and St Agnes Spital, Windsor but none are very close to this one. Pevsner, Hewitt and VCH agree on a twelfth century date, and the complexity of the foliage forms suggests a link with some of the Reading Abbey cloister work, e.g. the font in St James, Reading." Described in 'A History of Clewer', booklet 2: St Andrew's Church: "The twelfth century font deserves special attention. It is tub shaped, and has a flat zig-zag frieze at the top; and arches with elementary leaves in the spandrels. A notable feature of the font is the cable ornamentation at the base. The flat oak lid is plain, with fine old iron decoration, and is made in such a way that it can be locked [...]. The font was re-sited close to the south door in 1967 by the generosity of Mrs G. G. Payne-Cook, the wife of one of the Rectors of Clewer." [on-line source: home.clara.net/iainkerr/clewer/booklets/standrews.htm#_Toc438038530]. The Parish's own web site [www.bitinternet.com/~bitbucket/standrews/], however, captions an image of the font thus: "The Saxon font, one of the oldest features, contains a cockle-shell fossil in the stone."