Wallasey / Walea / Wallazey

There is an entry for Wallasey [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SJ3192/wallasey/] [accessed 26 February 2019] but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Ellis (1902) notes: "Standing at the foot of one of the lower piers of the modern Wallasey church is an interesting example of a circular tub-shaped font of early Norman character, which was turned out of old Wallasey church in 1760, into the rectory garden where it remained until 1834, when it as restored to its original use by Dr. Byrth, the rector at that time. A new font was given to the church in 1856, a few months before the fire, and the old one was again relegated to the rectory garden, to be once more taken into the church, thirty years later by Canon Gray. (Vide W.C. Ashby Pritt, Trans. Hist. Soc., 1891-2) [...] It is of coarse local sandstone, and though very massive, has been badly fractured, especially about the rim, where the hasps for its cover-attachment have been wrenched away, carrying portions of the stonework with them. It is surrounded by a simple arcade, in low relief, of semi-circular arches and piers, with the square capitals and sloped bases characteristics of Saxon and early Norman workmanship. Below the rim is a single row of indented ornament, and the piers of the arcade stand on a bold cable moulding above the base of the bowl. [...] Mr. W. Ferguson Irvine (Churches of Wirral, p. 16) informs us that the font at Eyam, Derbyshire, so closely resembles this at Wallasey 'that one is almost tempted to believe that they were cut by the same mason.'" The Transactions... (ibid.) footnotes: "To add to the experiences of this old font, I have been informed, since the above was written, that it has been recently mounted on a pedestal and placed for use in one of the new churches of the parish." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period, a noteworthy example. Richards (1973) writes: "Until quite recently Wallasey possessed a fine twelfth century font; however, after a chequered existence during the last hundred years or so, it is now to be found in a daughter church at nearby Poulton. It is tub-shaped and was restored to the church in 1834 by Dr. Byrth, the rector of Wallasey at that time. It had until then stood neglected in the rectory garden since it was turned out of the church in 1760. Fashioned in red sandstone it has been subject to considerable damage, especially about the rim. It is encompassed by a pleasing arcade in low relief, consisting of arches springing from plain piers with square capitals. Below the rim is a row of indented ornamentation, and the base of the font terminates in a surround of heavy cable moulding. In 1856 the font was again thrown out of the church, and yet again brought back in 1891. The wanderings of this font, however, were not still at an end, and early this century its transfer to Poulton lost for St. Hilary the last remaining object of interest and antiquity."