Great Cressingham / Claphamdam / Cressingaham / Cressinghaham / Cressingham Magna / Cressingham

Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The church of Cressingham-Magna is an uniform building of flint, boulder, &c. and copings of free-stone, consisting of a nave, north and south isles, and a chancel all covered with lead, and is dedicated to St. Michael; the nave is about 48 feet long, and, together with the isles, about 42 feet wide, the vault of the nave is supported by pillars, each formed of 4 pilasters joined together, which bear up 8 neat arches, four on each side, and as many windows over them; the roof is of oak, having principals whereon are carved the effigies of bishops, priests, &c. At the west end of the nave stands the tower, of the same materials as the church, with a wooden cap covered with lead, and a weathercock thereon; in this tower hang four modern bells: in this tower [...] To this south isle is annexed a porch covered with lead, and ornamented in several places with the letter M cut in stone, and a crown over it; also a sword erect, with a crown on the point, to represent, no doubt, St. Michael and his victory, to whom the church is dedicated; and the same insignia are on the tower." Blomefield (ibid.) names "John, son of Peter Saraceni" first recorded rector here, in 1237. The present font here is listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as one in a very large group of baptismal fonts that are plain octagonal with straightsided basins. The font cover, though not the font, is noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Jacobean, simple." Font and cover are illustrated in Knott (2008). The plain basin is raised on a plain stem, lower base and plinth, all octagonal, all plain. The wooden cover is an octagonal pyramid with decorated arrisses and a strange finial. [NB: we have no information on the font of the original church here].