St. Ives nr. Huntingdon / Saint Ives / Sleape / Slepa / Slepe / Villa Sancti Ivonis

Rhere is an entry for this St Ives in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/TL3171/st-ives/] [accessed 8 August 2021]; it mentions 2 priests and 2 churches in it. Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period, "octagonal, panelled with an interesting arcade". Described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a baptismal font of the Norman period consisting of an octagonal basin mounted on a five-pillar support base; the basin sides are ornamented with a blind arcade. Tyrrell-Green (ibid.) lists it in a group of Norman fonts the basins of which are decorated with an arcade of intersecting arches [T-G's list includes: Purley (Berks.), Llanfihangel Abercywyn (Carmarthen), Tidmarsh (Berks.), East Horndon (Essex), Sandridge (Herts), St. Ives (Hunts.), Oakham (Rutland), Great Durnford (Wilts.)]. The Victoria County History (Huntingdon, vol. 2, 1932) notes: "Although the church is mentioned in the Domesday Survey (1086), the earliest existing portion is the 12th-century respond now built into the north-west respond of the nave, which shows that there was an aisled church on this site at that period. [...] The 13th-century font has an octagonal bowl panelled with an arcade of intersecting circular-headed arches, on a central and four smaller octagonal shafts with simple capitals and bases." Noted and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008) as "The only 12thc. feature" of this church: "he bowl is octagonal with a circular interior and lead lined. It is decorated with intersecting arcading in relief, two bays per face. The arcade is on attached half-columns with single-roll bases on square plinths. These carry rectangular imposts and chamfered, round-headed arches. The bowl is supported by five octagonal shafts on octagonal moulded bases with spurs, the central shaft is fatter than the others. Capitals are octagonal and bell-shaped. The shafts stand on a chamfered octagonal upper plinth, with a second octagonal plinth below. [...] A similar font is found at All Saints', Conington." The CRSBI (ibid.) also mentions this font in the context of the entry for the Norman font at Eaton Socon, "with similar intersecting arcading". Noted in Pevsner (1968): "Font. Octagonal, Norman, with blank intersecting arches."