Taddington No. 1

Cox (1875-1877) narrates his encounter with the what he identified as the old Norman font from this church in the local 'public house' [i.e., pub]: "On the right-hand side, as we enter the field leading to the churchyard, stands a public-house. Fixed to the wall, to the left of the fireplace, and supported on a stone with nodged edges, is what we suppose to the the circular bowl of a former font, of the Norman period. On asking what it was, the landlady at once replied that itr was an old font; and the only doubt that existed in our mind about it was from the almost oval shape of the interior, but this may be chiefly owing to the wear and tear that it has encountered since it was appropriated for secular purposes. The bowl is fourteen inches high, and about two feet in diameter. It is fitted with a wooden lid, and is used for ordinary culinary purposes. At the time of our visit it contained a slight deposit of the nature of pea-soup. A traveller, who was present, told us that he had frequently seen the beer-glasses washed out in it when the passengers alighted there in the old coaching days. Surely this interesting old relic that existed in the days of King John [i.e., 1199-1216], might be rescued from its present incongruous position?" Described in Bunting (2001) with reference to Cox' discovery: "Taddington reclaimed its huge old Norman font 50 years ago after many undignified years in a nearby coaching inn, where around 1875 it was discovered by eminent historian Dr. J.C. Cox. He found apparent traces of pea soup in the bowl, also regularly used for washing beer glasses." [cf. Index entry for Taddington No. 2]