St. Cleer No. 1 / Ryskarasek / Saint Cleer

Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as one of several "square fonts supported on five shafts, which are Late Norman, or, as some whould have them, Transition". One of several locations in Cornwall or Wales in which the church was built near a holy well. Described in Cox (1912): "Font is Trans[ition]-Norm[an]; bowl is 25 in. square, with slightly pointed arcading on 3 sides and fourth left plain." Tyrrell-Green (1928) informs that "chapels were sometimes built either directly above holy wells or in such close proximity to them that a simple arrangement could be made for the water from the sacred spring to flow into a reservoir within the chapel. It is probable that these well-chapels were erected in the first instance to serve as baptisteries", which would account for the choice of this church site, as well as those at Llangibby, Llanwenog, Mathern and others. Noted in Pevsner (1970): "Font. C13, Purbeck table-top type, with five flat pointed blank niches on each side." Illustrated in A Snap in Time [http://www.caerkief.co.uk/Churches/Cleer_St.html] [accessed 13 November 2009]. [cf. Index entry for St. Cleer No. 2 for a holy-water stoup listed in this church]