Whitwick / Whitwich
Image copyright © [in the public domain]
PD
Results: 6 records
B01: symbol - shield - coat of arms
Scene Description: [cf. Burton's description in Font notes]
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
B02: design element - motifs - floral - rosette
Scene Description: One large rosette on a side of the basin
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
B03: design element - architectural - arcade - blind - pointed arches
Scene Description: on one of the basin sides
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
B04: symbol - shield - coat of arms
Scene Description: [cf. Burton's description in Font notes]
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
B05: symbol - shield - coat of arms
Scene Description: [cf. Burton's description in Font notes]
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
view of font
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: engraving in Paley (1844: unpaged)
Copyright Instructions: PD
INFORMATION
Font ID: 03449WHI
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 14th century, Decorated
Workshop/Group/Artisan: heraldic font
Cognate Fonts: The 19th-century font at Tunworth is said to have been designed based on this one
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. John the Baptist
Font Location in Church: Inside the church, in the W end, centre of the nave
Church Patron Saint(s): St. John the Baptist
Church Address: 10 North St, Whitwick, Coalville LE67 5HA, United Kingdom -- Tel.: +44 1530 589136
Site Location: Leicestershire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located on the A50, 20-25 km NW of Leicester
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Leicester
Font Notes:
Click to view
Gough (1792) quotes a description of the heraldic ornamentation on this font given in Burton (1622) [single quotations indicate Burton's original text]: "On 'the font stone' at Whitwich, Burton mentions these three escutcheons: '1.three garbs; 2.three chevrons; 3.semé de cross croslets, three fleurs de lis.'" Noted and illustrated in Upcott (1818). Paley (1844) writes: "Rudely executed specimen of late Decorated work [...] of poor design and not decided in character". The basin and the base are octagonal, raised on a rectangular plinth. Three sides of the basin are ornamented with shields bearing coats of arms; another side has a large rose motif; another has a blind arcade with zig-zag motif on top; another has three paddle-like motifs; one is blank and the eighth side has an unspecified low-relief motif [a/p Paley's notes and illustration (ibid.)]. The underbowl is chamfered. The upper half of the base has vertical sides which fan out on the lower half to meet the plinth which is rectangular with a raised priest's stone. There appears to be some damage around the upper rim of the basin. [NB: the 19th-century font at Tunworth is said to have been designed based on this font (Henry Woodyer, 2002: 52n)]. Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a noteworthy baptismal font of the Decorated period. In Pevsner (1984): "Font. Octagonal, with square panels with shields and also little blank traceried windows."
COORDINATES
UTM: 30U 611016 5844647
Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 52.740278, -1.355556
Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 52° 44′ 25″ N, 1° 21′ 20″ W
MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS
Material: stone, unknown
Font Shape: octagonal, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal
Rim Thickness: 10 cm
Diameter (inside rim): 52.5 cm
Diameter (includes rim): 72.5 cm
Basin Depth: 25 cm
Font Height (less Plinth): 125 cm
Notes on Measurements: Paley (1844: unpaged)
REFERENCES
- Henry Woodyer, Gentleman Architect, Reading: The University of Reading, 2002, p. 52n
- Burton, William, The Description of Leicester Shire: containing matters of antiquitye, historye, armorye, and genealogy, London: Printed for Iohn White [...], 1622, p. 306
- Cox, John Charles, English Church Furniture, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1907, p. 206
- Gough, Richard, "Description of the old font in the Church of East Meon, Hampshire, 1789: with some observations on fonts", X, Archaeologia, 1792, pp. 183-209; p. 194 and fn
- Paley, Frederick Apthorp, Illustrations of Baptismal Fonts, London, UK: John van Voorst, 1844, [unpaged]
- Pevsner, Nikolaus, Leicestershire and Rutland, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1984, p. 421
- Upcott, William, A bibliographical account of the principal works relating to English topography, London: Printed by Richard and Arthur Taylor, 1818, [vol. III, part II, p. 522 and pl. cl / [http://books.google.com/books?id=gLwuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA228&lpg=PA228&dq=upcott+1818&source=web&ots=lJwT-K00zU&sig=oVT6Kc6G03vqjYf4Synuk_Aek9w#PPP15,M1] [accessed 30 September 2007]