Harlow / Herlaua / Old Harlow

There are four entries for Harlow [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TL4711/harlow/] [accessed 16 May 2018], none of which mentions cleric or church in it. Simpson (1828) lists a baptismal font here inscribed with the Greek palindrome [cf. infra]. Allen (1839?) writes: "The inscription is ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ (Lord) wash my sin and not my face only,) it will be readily perceived that this Greek inscription reads either backward or forward. This monostich appear to have been adopted from the Greek church. It is, or was to be seen, on the font of the basiilica of St. Sophia at Constantinople. In this country its occurrence is frequent, in particular on the covers of the fonts at Dulwich College, and Worlingworth church Suffolk, a festive basin at Trinity College Cambridge, on the font at Harlow in Essex, and at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, and in France on a marble benitier in the church of Notre Dame, and the fonts at St. Stephen d'Egres at Paris, and in that of St. Menin's Abbey near Orleans." In Parker (1850) and in Cox & Harvey (1907). Bond (1908) lists the font at Harlow, Essex, as one bearing the palindrome inscription "ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ", "Cleanse your sin, not your face only" [on the upper rim of the basin]. The Victoria County History (Essex, vol. 8, 1983) notes that "There was probably a rector of Harlow in the mid 12th century", but also that the present Church of St. Mary and St. Hugh is a building chiefly of the 19th century re-building, thought retaining a few of the 12th- and 13th-century elements. The VCH (ibid.) does not mention a font or cover in this church; the only font mentioned is the modern one at the former church of All Saints, on Foster Street, later a private home and derelict by 1979. Bettley & Pevsner (2007) note: "Font. Octagonal, with panelled sides, and outstanding, tall oak and wrought-iron cover." [NB: Peter Williams, of the Parish of St. Mary, snet the following text to BSI (email of 11 August 2010): "[The font] featured in a recent Consistory Court judgement: we wanted to relocate the font as part of a refurbishment of the church interior, but the Chancellor refused. The Worshipful George Pulman, Q.C., Chancellor of the Diocese of Chelmsford, gave the following. Description of the font: "The font is an attractive stone font. It is currently positioned just to the east of the south door. The south door was the main entrance to the church. There is a substantial and high wooden porch outside the southern door. This area is paved with the Victorian tiles which also line the aisle. The porch is, I estimate, about twelve to fifteen feet square. Seated on the stone font is its cover. It is both unusual and most attractive. It is a fine example of Henry Woodyer's woodwork and would, quite rightly, be described as "interesting and imaginative". The cover is about four feet to five feet high and about two feet in diameter. It is made of oak and has the shape of a church spire. There are four 90 degree triangular panels. The short side is at the bottom, the hypotenuse provides the sloping side of the spire shape and the vertical side is the central axis. Each one of these triangular panels is exquisitely and delicately carved with depictions of the stone windows of this church. The delicate tracery of these stone windows is equally delicately, and proportionately, reflected in the panels of the wooden font cover. The effect of the tracery of these wooden carved windows is as impressive as many mediaeval stained glass windows, though without the colours. Leading from the font over a pulley is a metal hawser which ascends to the bracket, crosses over the bracket and then over another pulley to descend down the inside wall of the church. The gantry is an impressive iron construction reflecting the style and design of the font cover. At the wall end of the hawser is a substantial diamond shaped weight which balances the weight of the font cover." [...] "The Victorian Society [states] 'the fittings are striking; the composition of font, cover and bracket is superb, a work of architecture in itself.' " Woodyer carried out the last major refurbishment of St. Mary's between 1872 and 1875. However, his use of the Emperor Leo's palindrome was not its first use in our church. A major fire had broken out on 28th April 1708, which led to the collapse of the tower and a great deal of damage. The Holman Manuscript gives handwritten notes of the author's visits to St. Mary's after the fire, probably between 1720 and 1730. At that time there was a belfry at the West end of the church. Holman states: "At the lower end by the Belfry is the Font curiously railed in at the charge of Robert Chester Esqr. as appears from this Inscription in capitals Ex Dono Roberti Chester Armingeri -- On the North-wall by the Font is this Inscript in Greek capitals [Emperor Leo's palindrome here]" Unfortunately, we do not know what happened to this font when Woodyer replaced it or how old it was.""