Pittington / Pedyngedune / Piddingdune / The Dune

Fordyce (1857) writes: "This church is one of the fines specimens of ancient ecclesiastical architecture in the diocese, and, in certain portions of it, in the kingdom […] The font is a neat vase of white marble" [cf. infra about the origins of this font]. Listed in Cox-Harvey (1951) as a Norman font in this church. Bond (1908) makes reference to a Norman font at Pittington raised on cylindrical grooved shafts [NB: Bond mentions also a second font at Pittington, one that was at one point at Durham Cathedral but was removed to Pittington -- cf. Index entry for Durham No. 2 for this font; Bond (ibid.) illustrates the 17th-century font covered with a round flat top with a convoluted finial consisting of a crown-like lower part topped by an obelisk]. The Norman font at Pittington had adventures of its own: "It was sold in 1805 and used as a cattle trough on a Belmont farm. For almost 90 years the church used a marble font from Durham Cathedral. When the original was rediscovered the marble font was returned to the Cathedral.” [source: http://www.saint-laurence.org.uk/History.html] [cf. Index entry for Durham No. 2 for the 17th-century font, once in Pittington and now back again at Durham Cathedral]