Newport nr. Bristol No. 1

Tyrrell-Green (1928): "An elaborately sculptured Norman font-bowl with ornament in high relief and of Classical character occurs at St. Woolos, Newport (Mon.)". The Phaidon guide to GB & Ireland (1985) lists an interesting font at the cathedral of St. Woolos. Described in Newman (2000) as "a fine carved fragment, with Herefordshire school carving, [...] incorporated into the C19 font." Peter Lord, in Diwylliant... describes and illustrates the font (1998-2003), which he dates to ca. 1120-1130; the font, of which "only one 90 degree segment of the original carving survives", has a a square-shaped basin with deeply carved sides and a rounded underbowl; the carvings include a human head at each corner, to the sides of which extend scrolls of beaded-tape, leaves, crosses, etc. Described and ilustrated in Thurlby (2006) who notes the 1854 restoration that completed the fragment "on the basis of the medieval work and repeated the motifs exactly", and states that the suggested association of this font with the Herefordshire School (Newman (2000: 20) "is an erroneous suggestion". Thrulby (ibid.) further notes: "The fleshy quality of the foliage suggests a date late in the twelfth century and in terms of font decoration is analogous to the Aylesbury group not least Gret Kimble (Bucks.)", upon which association Thurlby suggests a date ca. 1180 for this font. The present [19th century -- 1854?] base consists of a plain cylindrical stem, a large roll moulding with large 3-leaf motifs at the angles, all raised on a square volume and a square plinth. Wooden font cover, probably of the same period as the restoration of the font. [We are grateful to John Harding, of www.sheelanagig.org, for his photograph of this font]