Holme Hale / Hill Hale / Holm / Holm Hale / Holme Hale/ North Hale / South-Holm juxta Hale

Blomefield (1805-1810) informs that there were two distingt villages here originally, Holm and Hale, and: "As here were formerly two capital lordships of Holm and Hale, so these lordships had for some time two churches to which they presented. Of the church of Holm. In the beginning of Edward I. Sir Robert de Hulmo was patron, the rector then had a manse, with 30 acres"; they were noth dedicated to St. Andrew and remained as separate parish churches until 1352, "And soon after it was consolidated to the church of Hale [...] The church of Holm-Hale is dedicated to St. Andrew, and was begun to be built in the reign of King Richard III. and was some years in building, as appears from several old wills; the tower was building in 1431, and in 1435, when John Wyscard bequeathed to the building of it 40s. and to the high altar of the new church 3s. 4d. and to that of the old church of Holm-Hale 6s. 8d. which was then standing. [...] It is a lofty pile of flint and boulder; the body or nave is in length about 18 yards, and in breadth, including the north isle, about 10 yards. The roof is of oak, supported by the effigies of priests, &c. but they are beat off, covered, together with the isle, with lead. The tower stands at the west end, and is built of the aforesaid materials, being very large and strong, with quoins and embattlements of free-stone, in which hang 6 large musical bells. The chancel is tiled; there is a north porch leaded. The parsonage joins to the east part of the churchyard." The present font is listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as one in a very large group of baptismal fonts that are plain octagonal with straightsided basins. Noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Plain, octagonal and with splayed stem." The basin actualy has a graded underbowl chamfer; the top of the stem has a moulding; the font has a square lower base and a plinth of the same shape. Wooden octagonal pyramidal cover with knob finial.