Lindfield / Lindefeldia

Described and illustrated with an engraving by J. Basire in Repton (1812) as a baptismal font "from about the reign of King Henry the Sixth to that of Henry the Eighth" [i.e., 1422-1509+]; the font at Lindfield, continues Repton (ibid.), "from its ornaments, does not appear to be older then the reighn of Henry the Seventh [1485+], or Eighth [1509+]; and is introduced to shew, that a font being square is not always proof of its antiquity, as is generally supposed." Noted in Paley (1844) as one of the few specimens of square font of the Perpendicular period. Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the 15th century; later in the same source they list it among the Sussex fonts of the Decorated period [1250-1350]. Described by Bond (1908) as one of a group of "unmounted fonts of the fifteenth century". Harrison (1920) dates the font here to the 15th century, Perpendicular period. Described in Whiteman (1994): "The carved octagonal font dates, unusually from the time of Henry VIII" [1491-1547]. The font is indeed square of basin and base; the basin sides are decorated with an arcade of trefoil arches, five to each side; the underbowl has a double concave chamfer; the sides of the base are decorated with an arcade similar to the one on the basin sides, but with only three arches per side; the inner well of the basin is round. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: TQ3488825850] notes: "Parish church. Mainly c1300 and C14 restored in C19 [...] C14 font with cusped ogee panels and elaborate C19 wooden cover and pulley mechanism."