Breckles No. 1 / Breccles / Breccles Magna / Breckles Magna / Great Breckles

There are seven entries for Breckles [varaint spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TL9594/breckles/] [accessed 14 October 2015], none of which mentions cleric or church in it. Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The Church hath an ancient steeple joined to its west end, which is round at bottom and octangular at top; it hath only one bell [...] The church of Breccles-Magna was dedicated to St. Margaret", and names "Tho. de Stow-Bidon" as its first recorded vicar, in 1305. The font is described in Cox-Harvey (1907) as a square Norman font rudely carved and bearing the four Evangelists. Listed and illustrated in Cautley (1949). Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Norman, square. On one side are two Green Men, on another big leaf motifs, on the third intersecting arches, on the fourth four upright figures under arches (cf. Finham), one of them praying, another with outstretched arms." Described in Knott (2004): "hacked out by Normans when they enforced the increasing practice of infant baptism in the late 11th century. The designs seem so unfamiliar to us because there is no attempt at unity or symmetry; Mortlock calls it lively and barbaric, which is about right. The eastern face is the best; four standing figures in archways, who may be the evangelists, or the four Latin Doctors, or orders of the clergy, or anything else I suppose." On-site notes: Square bowl with round inner basin which is lined with lead and has a central drainage hole. The square bowl is supported on five columns, the two western ones at the corners appear to be original while the central column, and the two at the southeastern and northeastern corners are newly carved. There is a blind arcade on the north side; two beasts heads chewing acanthus vines on the west side and a elaborate acanthus vine and column motif on the southern side. The eastern side of the bowl has an arcade with four round arches with four standing figures. Whether or not these represent the biblical figures it is difficult to say [could the figure holding the columns be Samson?]. The first figure on the left, has raised hands in orant pose, the second figure wears a long cape hidding arms and hands, the third figure has his hands and arms wrapped around the adjacent columns and the fourth figure is similar to the second. The angles have a variety of motifs, some of which may be human and animal heads. Plain capitals on top of the columns. Raised on a quadrangular plinth.