Necton / Nectuna

Blomefield (1805-1810): "N[ecton ...] on the Conquest was given by the Conqueror to one of his lords and followers, Ralph de Tony, and at the survey he held it, [...] when he entered on it, there were [...] one church, endowed with 36 acres ["i. ecclesia de xxxvi. ac. " (fol. 229)] [...] This Ralph de Tony was with the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings. [...] The church of Necton is dedicated to All-Saints, and is a beautiful and elegant structure; it consists of a nave, a north and a south isle of flint, &c. covered with lead; the roof of the nave is of oak, curiously wrought and embellished with painting; [...] At the west end of the nave stands a large and lofty square tower of flint, coped and embattled with free stone, in which is a ring of five good bells." Blomefield (ibid.) names "Stephen, rector about the reign of Henry II. or III." [i.e., 1154-1272] as the first recorded rector here, and "Robert Page, of Saham Tony" as first recorded vicar. A font is described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as the surviving fragments of an old baptismal font from this church. Pevsner & Wilson (1999) mention two fonts: "Late C14 bowl under the tower, one facet with tracery designs"; the other, "Octagonal, with tracery panels and shields, made in 1788, an unsusual date." [NB: not known whether T-G's fragments and the C14 bowl are one and the same -- the 18th-century font is not given a separate listing in this Index on account of its late date]. Knott (2004, 2007) illustrates only the later font. A wooden Ogee cover with crocketed ribs and finial is reported in English Heritage [Listing NGR: TF8785409751] [www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-221033-church-of-all-saints-necton-norfolk] [accessed 8 May 2013]. [NB: we have no information from the font of the Domesday-time church here].