Tintagel No. 2 / Tintagell / Tintegel / Tinategel

Noted in Lysons (1806-1833) as one of a group of Cornish fonts that includes Bodmin, “St. Austell, St. Columb-Minor, Crantock, Cuby, St. Dennis, St. Gorran, Luxulion, Newlyn, Roche, Southill, Tintagell, Veryan, and St. Wen”. Noted and illustrated in Upcott (1818) [with reference to Lyson]. Noted in 'On the ancient stone fonts of Cornwall' (1851): "a very singular example, and different from all others that I have seen. The bowl is supported by a central shaft; and there are heads at the corners. Beneath the heads are four angular shafts, not, as is usually the case, standing perpendicularly, but leaning outwards towards their bases, which are rude and of different shapes. Around these shafts are twining serpents, rude and mutilated, and above them are crosses. This is symbolical of the victory of the cross, (or the Christian Church,) over the serpent, by which Druidism is signified." Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a Norman baptismal font with serpents that "twine round the shafts at the angles, and above them are crosses". Lewis' Dictionary of 1848, which gives the dedication of the church as "St. Symphorina", reports "a very curious Norman font" in it. Murray's Handbook for travellers […] (1865) remarks on a remarkable Norman font on four spreading legs. Described in Cox (1912): "The font, too, is Norm[an] and can fairly lay claim to that generally misused word unique, for the bowl, 29 in. square, with heads at angles, is supported by 4 octagonal shafts set in an oblique or straddling fashion, in addition to circular shaft in centre." Described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a "curious and very early" baptismal font consisting of a round basin with four heads equidistant around the sides, and a base with "four sloping outward shafts [that] look like struts inserted to support the bowl, and do not seem to be related to angle-shafts carved upon it." The font at Tintagel does not match the designs of most other Cornish fonts, as it is neither the early type, nor the Bodmin type [cauldron on four colonnettes that start from the upper rim], and it is in that respect unique, though rather ungainly in its awkward design, the basin of which reminds one of some of the medieval "piques d'oli" of the Aran valley in Spain [cf. Index entries]: the basin is quadrangular, practically square, though rounded at the edges, and has a human head (grotesque?, or simply primitive?) at each angle; on the sides there are other motifs [a local booklet written by a former Vicar of the Parish, the Rev. A.C. Canner, explains that "the massive bowl must have fallen at some time, one of the corners suffering damage, being later patched with a fragment of Norman carving from some other source." -- this same source continues: "To strengthen the base, four octagonal shafts were set in a straddling position"]; the base consists of a broad central shaft and four outer colonnettes, all with polygonal bases. Pevsner (1970) notes: "Font. Square and plain, except for faces at the corners. On five feet, the four in the corners octagonal." The wooden font cover is round and adorned with metal; it appears relatively modern. [cf. Index entry for Tintagel No. 1 & 3 for two other fonts listed for this church]