Castlemartin / Castle Martin

Noted in the RCAHMW (Pembroke, 1925). Described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as a square mounted baptismal font of the Norman period "where the bowl is scalloped near the top instead of at its lower rim". Described and illustrated in Lord (2003), who dates it to the 12th century and points out the "fonts at Hinton Blewitt itself and at Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire are identical." He actually suggests that the workshop that produced both fonts may have been located at Hinton Blewitt, in Avon. Ditto in Lloyd et al. (2004). Lord's illustration shows a delicate double leaf filling the scallop motifs at the angles. Thurlby (2006) follows in Lord's path and notes the similarities in the treatment of the decorative elements on the fonts at Castlemartin, Chelwood and Hinton Blewett. The font is of the type common in this area: the basin is square at the top, shaped like a cushion capital with rounded bowl and underbowl; raised on a circular pedestal and round-to-square lower base. The Monkton Rectorial Benefice web site [www.revjones.fsnet.co.uk/michael/michael.html] reports that the main entrance to the church, now blocked, appears to have been in the west, through the tower and that, "just inside the doorway is a flagstone, which appears to have once supported the font. It has remained unmoved and it is in just the position where it should have been if this was the main entrance." [NB: the font is now [2004] at the south door. This same source, however, refers to the font as "a copy of the medieval font at Lamphey", which is not in either the design or in the ornamentation].