West Drayton in Hillingdon / Draegtun / Draitone / Westdrayton

There is an entry for this [West] Drayton [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ0679/west-drayton/] [accessed 6 June 2019] but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. [An illustration of this font probably from the Antiquarian Itinerary ca. 1806 -- to be confirmed]. Illustrated in Daniel Lysons (1796-1811). A report on this font with full drawings by W, Caviler appeared in The Builder, vol. 2, 1844 (p.618-619): "Among the many advantages arising from the great improvement in travelling made during the last few years, not the least is the great facility given for penetrating into some of the nooks and corners of England hitherto unknown or unthought of. Nearly every village of our country still possesses its ancient church, and it must be poor indeed if it does not contain something worthy of notice; and in very many cases subjects worthy of illustration are to be found, as in the church of West Drayton, which is about ten minutes' walk from the station of the Great Western Railway, very prettily situated, and, with its ivy-clad tower, presenting altogether a very picturesque appearance, though of no extraordinary beauty [...] But the object perhaps most in the church is the subject of present illustration. This font may be fairly considered one of the best remaining in the kingdom, and it is much to be regretted that was not included in the very beautiful collection lately published by Mr. Van Voorst. Its general plan is an octagon with an irregular base raised on one step, and having figures ranged around it; whom or what they are intended to represent must be left to the reader's imagination or to the learned allegory to determine. The pedestal is beautifully designed; it consists of a circular pier in the centre, around which are a series of open arches with buttresses at each angle of the octagon; the whole effect of this part of the work is particularly light and pleasing. The pedestal is surmounted by a spreading band of very bold foliage, interspeded with figures, some of which, from their costume, seem to be intended to represent the priviledged fol of the olden time; around the bowl of the font are eight panels filed with sculpture: the panel in the centre of the elevation has an angel bearing a shield; the next to the right one of the Maries, with the body of Christ after the Cucifixion; the next following is a mason engaged in carving; the next, the Crucifixion; then another angel bearing a shield; and the three remaining panels contain angels holding scrolls. The whole composition is completed by a plain bold moulding; the font is lined with lead, and has a pipe down the centre pier for letting off the water, but this is now in disuse in consequence of the pipe being stopped up. It is very much to be regretted that some great lover of cleanliness, who was much annoyed by seeing the stains caused by time on the font, had the eyesore removed by the application of sundry coats paint, which every lover of architecture must deplore. It is much to be wished that something could be done to remove the superfluous coating .There is no document to decide the date of the workmanship, but from its whole character, I should feel inclined to place the date at about the latter part of the fourteenth century. I feel sure that it is quite needless to say any thing as to the beauty this specimen; it will be allowed by all; I would advise every person going near the place to see it; it contains many that cannot be given in drawings, however accurate. I visited and delineated it at the request of Mr. Bartholomew, the architect. The elevation and section need no explanation. One half the plan is taken across the top of the font, and the other half across the pedestal, shewing the base step." [signed "W. Caviler"] Reported in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848: "a font curiously sculptured in compartments." Andre (1889) notes: "Our Lady of Pity occurs on the font bowl at West Drayton, Middlesex, upon which there are also the Crucifixion, and a symbolical representation of 'the acce laid at the root of the tree'. The stem of this remarkable font is pierced in an unusual but elegant manner." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a noteworthy baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. Described and illustrated in Bond (1908) as 15th-century octagonal bowl with scenes on some of the faces: a Crucifixion is visible in Bond's ill.; also a shield on another panel; etc.; the underbowl appears ornamented with foliage; narrower hollowed pedestal stem resting on an irregular base with four (?) odd-looking animals. Tyrrell-Green (1928) lists it as a fine baptismal font of the Decorated period [NB: though he, elsewhere (ibid.), groups it with 15th-century Perpendicular fonts] that "shows upon its panels a Crucifixion and a Pietà [...] amongs a variety of subjects, some of them apparently secular". "The subjugation of the powers of evil" adds Tyrrel-Green (ibid.) referring to the animals of the lower base, "is similarly illustrated in the fine font at West Drayton (Middlesex) [...] where ungainly and toad-like fonts appear as though crushed by the weight of the font above them." In Pevsner (1951): "Font. The most elaborate in the county, C15, octagonal bowl on nine-stemmed foot. The bowl has eight figured panels, five with figures of angels, one with a man with hood and dagger, one with a Pietà (of the Bohemian type of 1400), and one with the Crucifixus with the Virgin and St John." The entry for this parish in the Victoria County Histoey (Middlesex, vol. 3, 1962) entry notes: "The parish and manor of West Drayton were coextensive from the 12th century [...] The church is first mentioned in 1181, when it was described as in the lordship of St. Paul's Chapter (in dominio canonicorum), and the officiating priest was said to have 22 acres of arable in one field, a house, and a third of the tithe. [...] The fine stone font dates from the 15th century. [...] The church of ST. MARTIN, Church Road, dates substantially from the mid-15th century, with some 13th-century fragments. [...] The octagonal bowl has relief carving in the panels and rests on a pierced stem with grotesque figures at the angles of the base"; the VCH entry footnotes its source: "Hist. Mon. Com. Mdx. 14 and plate 51". Noted in the Historic Churches Preservation Trust (Recent Grants report of 16 March 2006): "C15th font."