Clyst Honiton / Honiton Clyst / Clist Noniton / Honetone

No entry found for Clyst Honiton in the Domesday survey. Listed in Lysons (1806-1822) as one of a group of square baptismal fonts in the county that are "for the most part supported by four pillars and a large pedestal in the centre". Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 notes: "The church [...] contains what is supposed by antiquaries to be the original Saxon font". Hutchinson (2010), who visited the church in 1885, commented in his diary that the "somewhat curious structure" appeared to be made of Beer stone and Purbeck marble. Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period. Described and illustrated in Bond (1908) as a square mounted font of the 13th century; the basin is wider at the top than at the bottom, therefore trapezoidal, each side ornamented with three large leaves. The base consists of a broad central column with four slender colonnettes at the corners; the lower base and the plinth are square as well, all plain. The plain flat wooden cover appears modern. Clarke (1922) describes it as one nine Devon 'table fonts' (Bondleigh, Hennock, Holbeton, Honiton Clyst, Mariansleigh, North Lew, Petrockstowe, Roseash and Washfield) that belong to the thirteenth century, "though the ornament on the bowls is of that date their heavy construction suggests a Norman origin, so that they have often been wrongly attributed to the twelfth century". In her detailed description of this font Clarke (ibid.) identifies the main material as limestone but suggests 'a scoriated stone, such as Thorverton trap" for the outer colonnettes of the base. The entry for Tortington (West Sussex) in the CRSBI [www.crsbi.ac.uk/ed/sx/torti/Index.htm] gathers information for several sources that favour the existence of a workshop in Dorset ca. 1150 responsible for the manufacture of the fonts at Torrington, Bishop's Teignton, Honiton, South Molton, Dun[kes?]well, Luppitt and Blackhawton. Described in Pevsner (1952): "Font. Square Norman bowl of table-top type, one side with the usual shallow blank arcades, another with a plain fluted zigzag motif, the other two reworked in the C16 or C17." The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SX9894293525] notes: "Parish church. C12 font, the basic fabric appears to be C15 or earlier and some C15 detail remains in north aisle but the whole church was thoroughly restored with a new south chapel and south porch in 1875 [...] C12 late Norman granite font. The square bowl is supported on a central column and 4 smaller shafts on the corners with moulded caps and bases. It sits on a Victorian plinth. The edges of the bowl cant forward slightly towards the top and the ornament varies each side including simple chevrons, scallops and stylised foliage; some may be secondary. It has a C19 lid [...] Although much of the basic fabric appears to be medieval the church is essentially the result of a thorough and consistent restoration of 1875, an attractive and coherent scheme. Only the font, the aisle arcade and one of the north aisle windows are pre-1875 detail." Noted in Leach (1975) as a font made of Purbeck marble without further deatisl [source given: Pevsner's South Devon, 1952]