Gotham

Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) and in Guilford (1927) as a baptismal font of the Decorated period. Described in Cox (1912): "Octagonal font, with quatrefoil panels, is late 14th cent." The Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project [http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/gotham/hintro.php] [accessed 31 January 2013] informs: "Gotham church is not mentioned in the Domesday Book [...] The first intimation of a church at Gotham is the gift of tithes made to the monastery of St Mary in the Meadows, Leicester. It is recorded in a charter of Henry II to the monastery dated between 1155-62. [...] An early form of the present church at Gotham would have been in existence before 1143. [...] Parts of the church have been repaired or replaced over the centuries [...] Recently the outside fabric of the church has been renovated" [NB: unfortunately the details in this source do not include the font]. The English Heritage site [www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-441384-church-of-st-lawrence-gotham-nottinghams] [accessed 31 January 2013] describes the font as "C19". The same Victorian date is reckonned by Sheila Leeds in her draft for the VCH entry [VCH Nottinghamshire On-line Texts in Progress -- version: August 2012 -- Sheila Leeds] [www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk/sites/default/files/work-in-progress/gotham_5_religious_hist_2012_08_27_0.pdf] [accessed 31 January 2013]: "The font, in the south-west corner of the church, is a fairly modern stone one, with a heavy wooden lid. It is octagonal and in the Perpendicular style." [NB: were Cox & Harvey and Guilford [cf. supra] wrong in dating this font to the 14th century? Was there another font inside the church at their time? -- we have no information on the font of the mid-12th century church here].