Wissett

Described in Cox & Harvey (1907: 219) as one of a group of East Anglian baptismal fonts in which "is the accurrence of alternate erect lions and wild hairy men (termed 'woodhouses') round the octagon shaft of the base". C&H mention Chediston, Halesworth, Middleton, Theberton and Wissett, all in the Hundred of Blything. This same source identifies the Evangelists' symbols alternating with angels around the sides of the basin. "Wonderful font. Its contents are in the East Anglian tradition, but these are the liveliest lions and woodwooses in Suffolk. The angels beneath the bowl soar, and St Mark's bull looks ready to jump out and fly away. Traces of paint survive." (Knott, 1999). The octagonal mounted font has the four symbols of the Evangelists, and a shield on the alternate basin sides; the underbowl has the typical East Anglian angels at the corners; the upper part of the base has eight floral (?) motifs; under those, rampant lions at the corners of the base and woodwoses in between them; the thin plinth is square (description based on photograph by Aidan Semmens in Knott, 1999)