Paulerspury / Pauler's Pury / Paveli's Peri

Described and illustrated in Simpson (1828) as a baptismal font of the Norman period; Simpson points out the bead and nail-head motifs on this basin; he gives the location as the south side of the nave, west end, but informs of a plan to move it at the time [i.e., ca. 1828]. Simpson's illustration shows the bucket-shaped basin mounted on a square base, obviously not the original. Noted in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 simply as "a curious font". Described in Cox-Harvey (1907) as a handsomely ornamented cylindrical bowl font of the Norman period. Maguire (1970) includes this font in a group the decoration of which appear to be related to that on a fragment from St Andrew's Priory. Pevsner & Cherry (1973) relate the "leaf capitals inside the lunettes and in the spandrels below" to the decoration on the font at Tiffield. Described and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008) with comment: "The font is a product of the lively workshop from St Peter's, Northampton, active in the 1140s and '50s. Other fonts by these sculptors are found in the county at Green's Norton, Paulerspury, Dodford, Tiffield and Weedon Lois, and nearby at Maids' Moreton (Bucks)." The Victoria County History (Northampton, vol. 5, 2002) notes: "The earliest feature is the late 12th-century tub font, carved with ribbed foliage in beaded lunettes."