Little Snoring / Esnaringa / Snaringa / Snarlinga / Snoring Parva

There are three entries for [Little] Snoring [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TF9532/little-snoring/] [accessed 18 October 2015], two which mention a church and "o.o6 church lands" in each. Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The Church is dedicated to St. Andrew, and a rectory; it is covered with lead, the chancel is tiled, has a round tower, with 3 bells, and stands distant from the church about 8 feet [...] John de Waltham occurs rector in the 20th of Edward I" [i.e., 1292]. The church must have existed earlier, for Blomefield (ibid.) reports a dispute on its advowson earlier in the kingdom of Edward I, which started in 1272, and, if the accepted dating of the font to the Transitional period [1150-1200] is correct, even earlier still. The present font is described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as an early font ornamented with a wide horizontal band of scroll-work ornamentation. Described and illustrated in Cautley (1949) as "the most beautiful font, transitional in date". Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1997). Jenkins (1999) dates it Norman and describes it as "beautifully carved." The basin is cylindrical and ornamented with a large vine all around its sides. The base has two volumes: the upper is a cluster of columns -one large in the centre and four half-columns- with leaf capitals and moulded bases; the lower volume of the base is graded with three levels. Noted and illustrated in Knott (2005). On-site notes: the font at Little Snoring appears to have fluorescent moss growing on its surface, such is the hedious colouring that covers it [NB: the offending colour was removed sometime between our visit on 27 July 2000, and 13 September 2004, the date of Martin Beek's visit and photograph [cf. Images area]]; parts of the surface, especially around the upper sides are damaged. The cylindrical basin has acanthus vine ornamentation all around. The base is all one piece, a broad central column with half-columns carved on it at the angles, all with capitals and bases bearing vegetation motifs. The lower base and plinth are round. Notwithstanding the beautiful carving this font is rather awkward. The cylindrical basin and lower base are linked by a middle volume that apears to have been designed for a square font: a traditional Norman-style arrangement of a browd central block with attached columns at the angles, the upper level decorated and forming sort-of capitels for the underbowl. It does not work well with the round volumes here. Flat wooden cover, round; appears modern.