Borden No. 1 / Bordena

No entry for Borden found in the Domesday survey. Hasted (1798) writes: "The church of Borden was part of the possessions of the priory of Leeds, to which it was appropriated before the 8th of king Richard II [...] There seems to have been continual disputes between the abbot and convent of St. Augustine's, and the prior and convent of Leeds, relative to the church of Borden, which at last was finally settled between them, about the year 1204 [...] The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, is a handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels, with a square tower at the west end of it, in which there is a clock, and six bells. It is built mostly of flint, but as a mark of its antiquity, it has a Roman brick or two interspersed among them, and the mortar is composed of cockle-shells. What is very remarkable, in the steeple there are the remains of a chimney, which seems coeval with it. The door-case on the western side of the steeple is of Saxon architecture, with zigzag ornaments, as is that on the opposite or inner side, but of a much larger size." A 1802 drawing by Thomas Fisher of this font and cover is entered in the Catalogue of Drawings & Museum Objects of the Society of Antiquaries of London [http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/specColl/SoA_images/detail.cfm?object=1325&CFID=572257&CFTOKEN=80284650] [accessed 13 January 2008]; this drawing shows the octagonal basin raised on a round pedestal base, perhaps the original [NB: it is possible that this base was lost while the font was out of the church, and that the new base was provided in or about 1918, when the font was restored to the church [cf. infra]] Glynne notes: "The font is curious, from being a specimen of 1723. The bowl is octagonal, on a similar stem. The cover is of Gothic wood-work upon iron, with pulley and inscription giving the above date. There is also a cock to drain off the water." Bond (1908) mentions only that "at Borden, Kent, there is or was a cock to draw off the water of the font", but does not give any information on the font. Noted in Newman (1976): "Font. Perp[endicular]; octagonal. Concave-sided. Large raised letters, DTB. Replaced in the church only after 1918." The Parish web site [www.sspeterandpaulatborden.co.uk] informs that the font "was discovered in the grounds of Borden Hall [...] In 1930, members of the family remounted the font to give thanks for the safe return of their relatives from the First World War. The cover of the font is a copy of an original cover, shown in an 18th century print of the church." The stem and base are modern. [NB: we have no information on the font from the 12th-century church here].