Dorton / Dorton / Dortone / Dourton / Durton

INFORMATION

Font ID: 05239DOR

Object Type: Baptismal Font1

Font Century and Period/Style: 12th century [basin only] -- 15th century [pedestal base only] [composite font], Medieval / composite

Church / Chapel Name: Church of St. John the Baptist

Font Location in Church: Inside the church

Church Patron Saint(s): St. John the Baptist

Church Address: Dorton, Buckinghamshire HP18 9NG

Site Location: Buckinghamshire, South East, England, United Kingdom

Directions to Site: Located 10 km N of Thame, approximately half way between Oxford and Aylesbury, S of the A41

Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Oxford

Historical Region: Hundred of Ixhill [in Domesday] -- Hundred of Ashendon

Additional Comments: altered font / composite font

Font Notes: Click to view

There is an entry for Dorton [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/SP6814/dorton/] [accessed 3 December 2015], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Lipscomb (1831- ) notes the font and its cover: "a lofty pyramidal octagon cover of a plain columnar font, on which is the following inscription: "A gifte to butyfie the House of God. Thomas Harryson, A.D. 1631." Sheahan (1862) notes: "The font is large and circular." Cox & Harvey (1907) do not list the font itself but mention an inscription on the font cover that identifies the donor, Thomas Harenson, and the date of the object, 1631. Bond (1908) mentions only the post-Reformation font cover as well. The RCAHM (Buckinghamshire, 1912) notes: "Font and Font Cover: plain cylindrical bowl, 12th-century, octagonal base, 15th-century; cover, hexagonal, six brackets of scroll-work meeting at the top with short central shaft, turned knob and pendant, inlaid inscription, 'A gifte to butyfie the house of God Francis Harryson anno domnie [sic] 1631'". The Victoria County History (Buckingham, vol. 4, 1927) notes: "The font has a 12th-century circular bowl placed on a 15th-century octagonal base; the cover, which has a finial and scroll-work brackets, bears the inscription, 'A gifte to butyfie the house of God Francis Harryson anno domnie 1631.'" Pevsner (1960) mentions only the cover. The Bernwode Benefice web site [http://www.bernwodebenefice.com/dorton/] [accessed 28 November 2010], hoever, reports: "The church was built in the 12th century [...] The font bowl is the only visible remnant of this era." The British Listed Buildings database [http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-42448-church-of-st-john-the-baptist-dorton] [accessed 28 November 2010] reports: "font with C12 circular basin on later octagonal base,and fine cover of 1631". The RCAHM (ibid.) further notes a holy-water stoup on the east side of the south doorway, "inside, with two-centred head and circular basin, 15th-century, imperfect."

COORDINATES

UTM: 30U 636715 5742846

Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 51.8197, -1.0164

Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 51° 49′ 10.92″ N, 1° 0′ 59.04″ W

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone

Font Shape: round, mounted

Basin Interior Shape: round

Basin Exterior Shape: round

INSCRIPTION

Inscription Language: English

Inscription Location: on the font cover

Inscription Text: "A gifte to butyfie the House of God. Thomas Harenson, A.D. 1631" [other sources have 'Harryson']

Inscription Notes: A gift of Thomas Harenson [Harryson], the donor

Inscription Source: Lipscomb (1831- ); Cox & Harvey (1907); RCAHM (Buckinghamshire, 1912)

LID INFORMATION

Date: Jacobean, 1631

Material: wood, oak

Notes: [cf. FontNotes]

REFERENCES