Thaxted No. 1 / Thaxtead

Noted in Paley (1844) as one of two examples [the other being Littlebury, in the same county] of specimens in which "the entire font is encased in wood, to which the cover is made to fit." Sperling (1860) identifies "three very elaborate font covers casing the whole font, and terminating in crocketed canopies, remain at Thaxtead [sic], Littlebury, and Takeley: at the latter place it has been coverted into a surplice box." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a noteworthy baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. The font cover is noted with an illustration in the Royal Commission of Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923): "Case: octagonal, of oak, in two stages with buttressed angles and panelled sides with traceried heads and carved spandrels, line of quatrefoil panels at base and moulded upper rail. Cover: spireform, supported internally on two carved brackets, one partly restored, lower stage with traceried arches and embattled cresting, pierced and crocketed buttresses at angles, upper stage with septfoiled arches and finished with a finial in the middle and side pinnacles, late 15th-century, restored, font entirely hidden by case." Hutton (1957) mentions "a rare P[erpendicular] 15C font/case and doors." Bond (1908) describes this type of cover as 'Floor Buffet' which "rests on the floor not on the rim; and thus cases up the font completely. It is provided with doors for access to the font", and gives the covers at Littlebury and Thaxted as examples of the Gothic version of this type [after Paley?]. In Pevsner (1976) as one of several noteworthy font covers in this county: "Case with two tiers of traceried panels hiding the font completely. Top with buttresses, canopies, finial, etc., a little broader and heavier than at Littlebury". Bettley & Pevsner (2007) suggest a date: "Late C15". [NB: the wooden case appears to be the font as well; the buffet doors open out and reveal a lead container that appears to be the only 'font' proper; the casing does not appear to contain a stone font -- to be corroborated in situ].