Tregaron / Trevgaron

Described and illustrated in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as one of a few examples of heptagonal baptismal font: "There is a drawback attaching to a figure with an uneven number of sides, in that the whole turns to appear off the centre when seen from certain points of view, and this blemish no doubt accounts for the fact that a heptagonal form was seldom adopted for the form". Tyrrell-Green (ibid.) lists the fonts at Llanilar, in the same county, and Pendine in Carmarthenshire, as heptagonal as well. The basin at Tregaron is plain except for slight vertical mouldings at the angles of the heptagon; it is mounted on a cylindrical base that has a double-moulding about half-way down; the lower part of the base is round-to-square. Described and illustrated in Gray (2012): "The Tregaron font [...] is quite small [...] The sides are slightly curved and separated by grooved pilasters. The entry for this church in British Listed buildings [https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300009909-church-of-saint-caron-tregaron] [accessed 21 January 2020] notes: "Medieval font bowl, heptagonal, rounded below and with raised fillets at angles." The entry for this church in COFLEIN [https://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/105105/details/st-carons-church-tregaron] [accessed 21 January 2020] notes: "A sixth century stone with Latin inscription was formerly built into the church's south wall. The church was a parish church duting the medieval period [...] The church was restored in 1877 [...] The heptagonal font, with lobate angles, is twelfth century in date. It sits on a circular stem and square base." The closest parallels are quite early in date: the four-sided Romanesque fonts like the one at Silian, with crudely carved heads at the angles. The stone is a very micaceous sandstone and certainly not local. [...] The sides of the font have been scraped and have some very rough tooling marks. There are no traces of paint but the scraping could have been to remove either paint or carving. There is also some cement repair. The font is on its original shaft, though this has suffered some damage and been repaired. It is greywacke, probably local, as the same stone occurs in the tower. It is characterised by thin horizontal laminations which are easily eroded. The plinth of the font is modern and the same stone as much of the 1878-9 rebuilding of the church."