East Horndon / East Thorndon / Heron Gate / Herongate / Heronsgate

Noted, with an engraving of this font by J. Greig from a drawing by G. Sheppard, in the 'Antiquarian Itinerary' (1817): "The font, a square massy stone, is carved with intersecting arches, and other ornaments" [NB: the plate is entitled "Ancient Font Heron Gate Church Essex"]. Poole (1842) refers to some early fonts "which are little more than large stones, scarcely reduced to any definite shape, except near the top, and then hollowed sufficiently for the purpose for which they are designed. Among these may be mentioned the font of Little Mapplested [...] and that at Heron Gate, in Essex." Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 reports a Norman font in this church. The entry in 'The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales' (1870-1872) for East Horndon reports a Norman font in this church. Described in Bond (1908) as one in "a set of sculptured fonts which have been credited with undue antiquity, owing to the ruthness of uncouthness of their ornament; but it by no means follows that what is archaic is always ancient." The bookseller 'K Books Ltd ABA ILAB' (London, New York) posted the following add on the Abe.Books.co.uk website [accessed 31 May 2011]: "Heron Gate Church - Essex - Ancient Font - an Original Antique Engraving, 1820 [...] Condition: Very Good. Plate Size 6 x 4 Ins, 15 x 10 Cms. An original antique engraving , printed circa 1820. Mounted and ready to frame." [NB: this illustration is a print from the Antiquarian Itinerary [cf. supra]]. Noted with an illustration in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923): "Font: [...] square bowl, two sides carved with ornamental cross and two other with simple interlacing arcade of round arches, c. 1200, stem and base modern." Listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a good specimen from a group of fonts "characteristic of the Norman period in architecture", "consisting of a rectangular bowl upon a large central shaft, with four slender supporting shafts at the angles". T-G (ibid.) adds that it is one 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 the font is ornamented with crosses and an arcade of intersecting arches. Noted in Pevsner (1976): "Font. Square, of c.12000, with flat sunk decoration of interlaced arcade on two sides, and foliated crosses on the other." [NB: the font appears in The Antiquarian Itinerary -cf. supra- as monlithic, with the basin and base all of the same width (unless the base part is a separate block) -- the font as it was seen by Tyrrell-Green over a hundred years later consisted of the square basin mounted on a columnar base]. A footnote in Bettley & Pevsner (2007) informs: Font removed to Great Wakering, 1969 [...] From East Horndon [...] c. 1200". The RCHM (ibid.) inventories also a holy-water stoup of the early 16th century in the nave, south wall [no separate entry in this Index]