Cubert / St. Cuthbert / Saint Cuthbert / St. Cubert

Noted in Lysons (1806-1833) as one of a group of Cornish fonts of similar shape as the original fonts of Bodmin, Roche, etc., “but evidently of a much later date”. Described and illustrated in Paley (1844) as a baptismal font of the Norman period: cylindrical basin supported on a central base which is round at top and square at bottom, plus four round corner shafts which start right at the upper rim of the basin and are adorned with several moldings; the basin itself is ornamented with a narrow band of fog-tooth motif at top and bottom, and several star motifs inside circles on the basin sides. The lid shown in Paley "is so original in design that we have been induced to give a sketch of it" (ibid.); it appears to be made of wood and is topped by a maquette of a church building with a tall pointed finial ended in a ball, not too dissimilar from font lids found on some Scandinavian fonts of the Romanesque period, although this one is most likely 18th-19th century. This font is listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as being of the Transitional [1150-1200] period. Cox (1912) lists it as one "of characteristically Cornish design", yet he adds: "Highly interesting late Norm[an] font differs from all others in county; square, with central and corner shafts, bowl adorned with elaborated circles and bands of star ornament in shallow relief." Noted in Pevsner (1970): "Font. C13, circular, on the usual five supports (the outer with shaft-rings), the sides of the bowl with chip-carving of rosettes, stars, etc." Illustrated in A Snapt at the Time [http://www.caerkief.co.uk/Churches/Cubert.html] [accessed 16 November 2009]