St. Athan / Sain Tathan / Llandathan

Described in Orrin (1988): "The font is of Sutton stone and probably late Norman. It has a plain cup-shaped bowl, bublous before the double string and the slightly concave stem, all done in one piece. It rests on a square plinth. The font has a twelve-sided pyramidal cover of oak with ribs down each angle and is surmounted by a finial. The bowl is lined with lead." In Newman (1995) as a large goblet-shaped baptismal font: "Of what medieval date? It is Sutton stone, so probably C12." Described and illustrated in Thurlby (2006): "although the font is plain it takes on an elegant goblet shape [...], a form that suggests wine and, concomitantly, a link between baptism and the eucharist." The village web site [http://www.stathanvillage.co.uk/html/church.html] [accessed 5 May 2009] notes: "On stepping down into the church, the font is the first item of note. This is a large, rather uncommon circular font, probably of late Norman date which stands on a square base 3 feet high from the floor. The base is made of Sutton stone (quarry at the mouth of the Ogmore River, near Bridgend). The cover is made of oak […] Traces of these hinges can be found on the rim of the font."