Westerleigh

Described and illustrated in Paley (1844) as a Norman square basin, inside and out, mounted on a single cylindrical pedestal base (modern) adorned with two torus. The wide round plinth is plain. The basin sides are ornamented with floral motifs, some of which -Paley informs- are rather mutilated. The chamfer appears to have fluted motif ornamentation. Described in Cox & Harvey (1907): "one of the best Norman fonts in the county [...]; the bowl has the general form of a square capital with the sides ornamented in low relief with geometrical patterns": Noted in Verey & Brooks (1999-2002): "Font. Neo-Norman, quite elaborate; said to be C17, but more probably C19." Doubts have been raised about whether this font is truly Norman, a 17th-century forgery or a product of the 19th-century. [NB: it is difficult to accept this font as Norman, yet it is hard to accept that Paley could be fooled in 1844 by a recently-made font, which would then make the 17th-century option more likely; it looks, however, more like one of the neo-Norman fonts produced in the Victorian period. If Cox & Harvey are right, it must surely have been re-cut]. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: ST6995479654] describes it as "C17 Norman revival font in nave".