Marske-by-the-Sea / Marske-in-Cleveland / Mersc / Mersche

There are three entries for Marske [by-the-Sea] [variant spelling] in te Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/NZ6322/marske-by-the-sea/] [accessed 5 June 2015], of which mentions a church in it. Shehan (1859) notes that three churches had existed on this site, ''the last one was Early Norman in style. The old Norman font belonging to it, is now at the Vicarage.'' The font is noted and illustrated in the report of an 'Excursion to Guisborough, Kirkleatham, and Marske', on Friday, June 13, 1902, by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society (1902: 19, 20): "The only relic of it is a fine Font of about 1170, which having been discarded, and desecrated first as a farmyard trough and afterwards as a flower pot in the Vicarage garden, has been recently placed in St. Mark's Church where it should be examined. It is of rather an unusual type, but there is another not unlike it in the neighbouring church of Upleatham." Described in Bond (1908) as a rectangular font, "a sister font [...] at St Mark's Church, Marske" to the one at Reighton, itself Norman and rectangular as well; the font had been at the St. Germain's church until it was pulled down in 1820. [NB: Bond gives the county as West Yorkshire]. The Victoria County History (York North Riding, vol. 2, 1923) notes: "The church is said by Simeon of Durham to have been consecrated by Bishop Æthelric [...] (Bishop of Durham 1042–56) [...] and to have been given by Copsi, while holding Yorkshire under Earl Tosti, to the monastery of Durham. [...] The old church of ST. GERMAIN was rebuilt in 1820–1. Graves, writing about 1808, states that the former church was then ruinous. [...] The new church, erected in 1821, is of no architectural interest [...] The new church of ST. MARK was erected in the town in 1867 [...] The font is a relic of the ancient church, re-dedicated in 1901, and restored to use after many years of desecration, having been turned out of the church in 1820 and used as a trough in a neighbouring farm, and later as a flowerpot in the vicarage garden. It is of 12th-century date, cut from a single block of stone, 2 ft. 6 in. square by 19 in. in height, and has a shaft with cushion capital and moulded base at each corner. Each of the four sides is ornamented with carving, in two cases of plain herring-bone type, the others having more elaborate scroll and star-shaped ornament. Described in Morris (1931) as one of two fonts [the other at Upleatham] "that are richly carved, with a kind of 'chip-work' pattern, that are as interesting as unusual." Morris (ibid.) dates the font to the 12th century. The entry in Henglish Heritage [Listing NGR: NZ6335822328] (1967) notes: "Norman font removed from old parish church of St Germain [...] at Marske-by-the-Sea and found early C20 being used as water trough: square, with restored plinth; squat angle shafts with scallop capitals and richly carved sides with spirals and wheels." Noted in Pevsner (1985): "Font. Square, Norman, with angle columns. On the faces zigzag, an irregularly repeated volute motif, and a ship's wheel motif."