Madron / St. Madron / Saint Madron / St. Maddern

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Copyright Statement: Image copyright © [in the public domain]
Image Source: Sketch by Blight in the original 1862 article in The Gentleman's Magazine
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view of church exterior - southwest view

Font image
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Julie Pitrone Williamson, 2002
Image Source: Julie Pitrone Williamson [jpwilli@wmi.rr.com]
Copyright Instructions: Image and permission to reproduce (letter of 9 December 2004)

INFORMATION

Font ID: 05730MAD
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 11th - 13th century, Norman / Transitional?
Cognate Fonts: Lanteglos-by-Fowey, Linkinhorne, Probus, Ruan Lanihorn and St. Tudy, all in Cornwall
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. Madron
Font Location in Church: Inside the church [cf. FontNotes]
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Madron [a.k.a. Maddern, Madderne, Madern]
Site Location: Cornwall, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located just NW of Penzance
Additional Comments: damaged font: [cf. FontNotes] / disused font? Restored font?
Font Notes:
Noted in Lysons (1806-1833) as one of a group of Cornish fonts that “are square, very little ornamented, and supported by a pedestal and four pillars”. Noted in Murray's Handbook for travellers […] (1865): "a square font of Norman character, always covered with a white, fringed, linen napkin, a very old custom of this parish." Kelly's Directory of Cornwall (1883) mentions "a curious old granite font" in this church. Described and illustrated in Blight (1862): "the font, which is Norman. The lead with which it is lined is brought over the upper edge and nearly half-way down the side. The forms of square panels may be seen on one side, --doubtless the other sides were similar; but the font appears to have received violent injury; portions have been plastered up, and it is also thickly coated with lime. The block of granite on which it stands is extremely rude". [it then proceeds to give the dimensions of the font -- cf. Measurements area]. Cox (1912) writes: "Square Norm, font has been unhappily discarded; bowl lies in churchyard ; 5 plain shafts and circular base are original." Described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as "a font consisting of a rectangular bowl upon a large central shaft, with four slender supporting shafts at the angles [...] a type of font, characteristic of the Norman period in architecture". Tyrrell-Green (ibid.) mentions also that the ruins of the old chapel here still show traces of how "the water from St. Madron's well near-by passed through a channel in the south wall of the oratory into a reservoir in the south-west corner, and was drained out again through a trough towards the north." This appears to be indicative of the presence of an early baptistery here , similar to the ones at Llangibby, Mathern, Llanwenog, St. Cleer, Callington, etc. Not in Pevsner (1970), who mentions the 14th-century Baptistery of St. Madron and St. Madron's Holy Well in this town. The Historic Churches Preservation Trust mentions "a Norman font supporting a modern basin" in this church [source: 'Recent Grants' issue of the Grants Cttee. Meeting of 28 September, www.historicchurches.org.uk]
Credit and Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Julie Pitrone Williamson [jpwilli@wmi.rr.com] for the photograph of this church.

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone, granite [lower base only?]
Font Shape: square, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: square
Basin Total Height: 57.5 cm [calculated]
Font Height (less Plinth): 90 cm
Square Base Dimensions: 32.5 cm
Trapezoidal Basin: 75 x 75 cm
Notes on Measurements: Blight (1862: 528): "Height, 3 ft. in.; height of shafts, 11 in.; length of each side, 2 ft. 6 in."

REFERENCES

  • Blight, John Thomas, "Cornish churches [pt. 3]", 212, May 1862, The Gentleman's Magazine: or, Trader's monthly intelligencer, 1862, pp. [527]-539; p. 528
  • Blight, John Thomas, Churches of West Cornwall: with notes and antiquities of the district, London: J.H. Parker & J. Parker, 1865, [?] [http://west-penwith.org.uk/madron1.htm
  • Cox, John Charles, Cornwall, London: George Allen & Company, 1912, p. 166
  • Kelly, Kelly's Directory of Cornwall, London: Kelly's Directories Ltd., 1883, [unavailable]
  • Lysons, Daniel, Magna Britannia, being a concise topographical account of the several counties of Great Britain, London: Printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1806-1822, vol. III: p. ccxxiv
  • Murray, John, A handbook for travellers in Devon and Cornwall, London: John Murray, 1865, p. 299 / [http://books.google.ca/books?id=V_YGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=%22roborough+stone%22&source=bl&ots=2ZhOkO8ZIn&sig=RriwKcw-zwLPfFdGUaHE7WccPgU&hl=en&ei=QRWkSZHXMYjTnQe2ud2pBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPR5,M1] [accessed 24 February 2009]
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus, Cornwall, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1970, p. 111
  • Tyrrell-Green, E., Baptismal Fonts Classified and Illustrated, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge: The Macmillan Co., 1928, p. 11, 26, 27