Downham Market / Downham / Downham Hithe / Duneham / Dunham

There are five entries for Downham [Market] [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TF6103/downham-market/] [accessed 13 April 2016], none of which mentions cleric or church in it. The church must have existed by 1202, when Blomefield (1805-1810) names the first recorded rector, "William—about 1202", the next recorded rector being "Matthew de Tillebroke, presented by the abbot and convent of Ramesy", in 1304. On the building itself, and its font, Blomefield (ibid.) writes: "The Church is dedicated to St. Edmund, consisting of a nave, a north and south isle, built of car or rag-stone, and covered with lead; at the west end, sands a low four-square tower of the same materials, embattled, and with buttresses, quoins, &c. of free-stone, wherein are 5 bells; on this is erected a small spire of wood, covered with lead. The vault of the nave is supported by pillars forming 10 arches, 5 on each side, of a different workmanship, and turn; the roof is of oak, and at the west end is a neat gallery fineered, &c. and on the old octangular font, a shield on each angle, viz. two arrows in saltire, with a crown over them, to set forth the shield of St. Edmund,—three escollops, St. James's,—a cross, St. George,—two swords in saltire, St. Paul,—a saltire, St. Andrew,—two keys in saltire, St. Peter,—a cross with two spears in saltire, with a crown of thorns on the head of the cross, our Saviour's shield; the other is obscure. In this nave hangs on a piece of iron work a glass or crystal branch with 8 sockets; the nave is in length about 62 feet, and breadth with the 2 isles about 45. —The chancel is camerated, and covered with reed, in length about 34 feet, and in breadth about 16; the communion table is railed in, and is ornamented with the 10 Commandments, and the pictures of Moses and Aaron." The font in this church is reported in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848: "the font, which is octangular, has at each angle a shield bearing the arms of St. Edmund." Farrer (1887 [1885?]) notes: "Shields on the Font. IX. A cross (St. Oeorge, Argent, a cross gules.) -- X. Three escallops (St. James, Azure, three escallops or.) -- XI. Two arrows in saltire, headed and feathered, points downwards ; in chief a crown {St. Edmund, Azure, two arrows in saltire, headed and feathered, points downward, in chief a crown, all or.) -- XII Three nails, points downward, the one in pale between two others, the one in bend and the other pointing towards the dexter base point. Shield of the Passion. -- XII. A long cross, surmounted of a crown of thorns, Shield of the Passion. -- XIV. Two keys in saltire {St. Peter, Gules, two keys in saltire or.) -- XV. A saltire couped, St. Andrew. -- XVI. Two swords in saltire {St. Paul, Gules, two swords in saltire or.)" Listed in Cox-Harvey (1907) as a stone baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "C15 […] The stem is by William Lawrie of Downham, 1855." Described and illustrated in the Parish web site [www.saintedmund.org.uk/section/49]: "The font bowl is 15th century Perpendicular Period, having angels holding shields with the following emblems [Right-to-Left order]: SS Paul, George, James the Great, Edmund; the Passion (twice), Peter and Andrew. It was reset on a new stem and base in 1855 by the local stone mason, William Lawrie" [NB: William Lawrie was also responsible for the 19th-century replacement font at Wimbotsham]. The Parish web site [www.saintedmund.org.uk/section/49] [accessed 15 August 2013] notes on the colourful floor tiles around the base of the font: "'To the Glory of God and in memory of his faithful servant Arthur S. Latter for 7 years 1883 - 1890 Rector of this Parish and Rural Dean.' The tiling round the font was presented by his loving widow." [NB: we have no information on the font from the original ca.1200 church here].