Sporle / Sparle / Sporle / Spurley

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes; "The church of Sporle is a lofty and spacious building of flint, &c. dedicated to the Virgin Mary; it has its nave, a north and south isles, covered with lead. At the west end of the nave, stands the tower of flint, with quoins and embattlements of freestone, and therein are three bells; to this tower there has been annexed a large porch embattled with freestone, and over that a room, probably for some anchorite or recluse, but it is now in ruins and uncovered. There is an old Gothick font, standing on 9 pilasters". Blomefield (ibid.) names "Robert de Finchyngfeld" as first recorded rector here, in 1300. 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". Listed in Leach (1975) as a font made of Purbeck marble; "the base is high". In Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "C13. Octagonal, of Purbeck marble, originally with the familiar two shallow blank arches on each side." Noted and illustrated in Knott (2006, 2007): "a typical purbeck marble octagonal job, reset on a 19th century collonade". The lower base, octagonal and of two levels, may be original. Octagonal cover fitted to the outer basin top; 19th-century? Blomefield [cf. supra] writes on Sporle Priory: "Near to the church of Sporle stood the priory, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, but of the foundation I meet with no certain account; though King Henry II. who was Earl of Anjou, was probably the founder. It was a cell to the monastery of St. Florence at Saumers in the diocese of Anjou in France, of the order of St. Bennet", and names "John, prior of Sporle, was living in the time of King Hen. II. and witness to a deed of Ralf Bellofago, of the church of South Creke, to the monks of Castleacre."]