Middleham / Medelai / Middilham / Midelham / Midlam

There is an entry for Middleham [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SE1287/middleham/] [accessed 21 November 2019] but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Glynne's 19 April 1842 visit to this church (in Butler, 2007) notes: "The font is modern, but has a cover of wood tabernacle work." Bulmer's Directory of 1890 has: "The font, of Caen stone, neatly carved, was given by the widow and family of the late Rev. M.G. Booty, M.A." [NB: parish vicar recently deceased?] [source: transcription by C. Hinson © 1999 in www.genuki.org.uk]. Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a noteworthy baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (York North Riding, vol. 1, 1914) notes: "A few stones indicate the existence of a 12thcentury church upon the site, but none of its walls are standing at the present time. The earliest church of which the plan can be traced dates from about 1280 [...] The font is modern and has marble shafts to its stem. The old one was recently recovered and stands now in the north aisle; it is octagonal, of a fairly simple section and probably of 14th-century date. Over the font in use is a fine wood canopy, partly of 15th-century date and partly modern, the older part having been found some years ago in a stable. It is of three traceried stages, of which the lowest one is new; the upper stages have two trefoiled piercings in each face, crocketed and finialled, while there are crocketed pinnacles at the corners." Morris (1931) notes: "Old font. [...] Perp[endicular] font canopy: the middle stage is mostly old." Betjeman (1958) mentions a "part of font cover 15th cent." The baptismal font itself is a very restrained example of the Perpendicular style: plain octagonal basin with vertical sides and flat underbowl, the upper rim badly broken and damaged; octagonal stem with a moulding at either end; octagonal lower base; all plain. Raised on a modern polygonal plinth. The beautiful font cover is a restoration of the 15th-century original, all tracery and cusped pinnacles, splendid in its full colours (green, red and gold). The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SE1262887878] notes; "Church. C14 and C15. [...] C14 font with octagonal coarse gritstone bowl on octagonal shaft resting on round base, and tall Perpendicular canopy."