Hepworth nr. Bury St. Edmunds

There are two entries for this Hepworth in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/TL9874/hepworth/] [accessed 4 November 2018] one of which reports "1 church. 0.12 church lands" in it. Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 notes: "the cover of the font is of pyramidal form, 12 feet in height, and richly carved." Parker (1855) writes: "The font is D[ecorated], octagonal in shape, with a fine cover, a good deal mutilated, and painted stone-colour; it is fixed to the font, and in place of drawing up, it opens on one side and allows the font to be used." Bond (1908) includes Hepworth in a group of "fine examples of Gothic font covers" in Suffolk, but he later (ibid.) adds: "a MS. Memorabilia Hepworthiana, dated 1873, shews that the Hepworth cover is largely modern work by a local carver." Betjeman (1958) describes the cover as 15th-century. The cover in question is quite tall (about four times the height of the font itself, i.e., over twelve feet), octagonal and ornamented cusped pinnacles and Gothic tracery; at the top, a Latin cross finial. The font itself is rather unimposing in contrast, an octagonal mounted font in the style of the 16th or 17th century, plain but for a number of mouldings at the upper and lower ends of the basin and the pedestal base, which is also octagonal. The font-cover is noted in Howard & Crossley (1919). Both font and cover are illustrated in Knott (2007?), who notes: "The great font cover is amazing. Not as tall as Ufford's, and the paint was removed in the 18th century, but it is remarkable in that so many of the figures have survived (the ones at Ufford at 19th and 20th century replacements). There are two ranges - the upper range consists of niches, and the figures have gone. But the lower range consists of a landscape of castles and battlements - you see the backs of small, naked people going in through small doorways, and emerging as knights from larger doorways, sword in hand, to do battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. I guess it is meant to represent the power of baptism. The double doors open at the front (it is no longer telescopic) and there is a 19th century cross clumsily added to the pinnacle. I took lots of photographs […] The font, by the way, is an off-the-peg job, probably of the 1880s." [NB: the font noted in Parker would have been an earlier font than the one seen by the later authors]. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: TL9874874854] notes: "Parish church. C13 and later: seriously damaged by fire in 1898, and extensively rebuilt by J.S. Corder of Ipswich. [...] The one outstanding feature of the church is the late C14 pinnacled font cover, octagonal, and 12ft 6 inches high. The ornate carving is unusual, and much-damaged, in 3 tiers, with a 3-tier pinnacle above; the lowest stage has a miniature building on each face, with windows and doorways in which little figures stand"; the font itself is not mentioned in it.