Abingdon No. 1 / Abendon / Abingdon-on-Thames

No entry found for Abingdon in the Domesday survey. Hone (1827) cites from the churchwardens' accounts book [1592?] which notes expenses incurred "for the font taper, and the paskall taper" the sum of 6s. 7d." The Victoria County History (Berkshire, vol. 4, 1924) notes: "The earliest mention of a church of St. Helen is shortly before 995, when a felon took sanctuary there. [...] It is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but appears again in the late 12th century [...] The earliest parts of the existing structure are the tower and the east wall of the two north aisles, which date from the first half of the 13th century, [...] The font is a modern copy in marble of that at Sutton Courtenay, and the old font is buried below it. The cover is octagonal with spire-form top, the latter with good vine-leaved panels and the base enriched with a rose, thistle, fleur de lis and Prince of Wales's feathers, and the date 1634. It has apparently been restored." Hutton (1957) mentions only the font cover dated to 1636. The polygonal font-cover is indeed older than the font itself, a one-piece cylindrical basin made probably in Victorian times reminiscing the tradional Norman tub font design. The whole is raised on a plinth. [NB: we have no information on the original font(s) of this church, other than the statement in the VCH [cf. supra] that it is buried beneath the modern one].