Congham No. 1 / Concham / Congheham / Congreham

Congham appears in the Domesday survey as "Concham", "Congheham" and "Congreham", and one church is reported in it, in the land of the earl William de Warrena [aka de Warenne]. Blomefield (1805-1810) notes three church in Congham: St. Andrew's, St. Mary's and All Saints', without stating which of the three was the one noted in Domesday, but it appears likely that All Saints' was the earliest: "This church was given by Adam, son of Alverede, or Alured, to the priory of Wymondham, and confirmed by William Earl of Sussex, [...] and William de Albini Earl of Sussex gave the tithe of two parts of his demeans in Congham and Rising to the said priory." This "William de Albini Earl of Sussex" can be none other than William d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel and Lincoln (1109-1176) under Henry I, therefore the existence of All Saints' is documented in the 12th century. Blomefield (ibid.) writes on the second church: "The Church of St. Andrew is a single pile covered with lead, and has a tower four-square, embattled, and 2 bells; on the northe side is a chapel covered with tile", and names "Ralph de Sprouston" as first-recorded rector of it, in 1300. Blomefield (ibid.) gives no description of St. Mary's, naming "Edm. de Lena" as first-recorded rector of it, in 1329; he does, however, note that "This rectory was consolidated to Congham St. Andrew, in 1684; the church is dilapidated, the rector receives all the tithes of the three Conghams, and pays 20l. per ann. to the impropriator of All-Saints." Tyrrell-Green (1928) writes: "The octagonal form persisted in fonts of the same class in the thirteenth century, with the change that in the Early English style pointed arches take the place of rounded ones in the shallow incised arcading". Described in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "C13. Of Purbeck marble, octagonal and two shallow blank arches to each side. The base of eight granite columns has the date 1864." Illustrated in the Grimston Parish Council and Village site [http://eoe.xarg.co.uk/grimston-west-norfolk-uk/photos/photo?photo_id=568411] [accessed 4 August 2009]. Noted in Leach (1975) as a font made of Purbeck marble, Polygonal I Type (Octagonal): "base modern] [source given: H. Munro Cautley].