Cenarth

The entry for Llanysilio-Gogo in Lewis' Dictionary of 1849 reads: "the font, which is octangular, is supported on a pillar of the same form." Noted and illustrated in a communication by D.H. Davies in the 31 August 1898 issue of Bye-Gones, in which the author narrates the discovery and early vicissitudes of this object. Evans (1914) writes of a font from the church at Capel Cynon: "The stone Font belonging to this church is now in the parish church of Cenarth, Carmarthenshire." Tyrrell-Green (1928) writes: "The very interesting font at Cenarth (Carmarthen) belonged at first to the church at Llandisiliogogo in the adjoining county of Cardigan. For some time the bowl did duty as a pig-trough in a farmyard, and when Cenarth church was rebuilt in 1872 it was removed into it and placed in its present position upon a very incongruous pedestal". This same source (ibid.) adds: "Four heads also occur in connection to an ornamental border, as at [...] Cenarth (Carmarthen). In the last case the bowl is round and has ornament in relief of a very simple festoon form, irregularly executed; within the loops at four points are faces also, in relief, and at one of these points where the loop is extra large there are two faces instead of one." Baker-Jones (1970) notes: ''the font is ornamented with human masks, the heads being at four equal distances, enclosed with a serpentine moulding; in one of the divisions there is a pair of heads, making five in all around the bowl. The workmanship is extremely rude and its execution may have taken place in the 13th century. The shaft and base are modern.'' Described and illustrated by Peter Lord in Diwylliant... (1998-2003), who dates it to the 12th century and mentions five heads, "three distributed equally around the font, with two together. The pairing suggests Adam and Eve, an idea reinforced by the sinuous line which circles the font, suggestive of a serpent" [NB: the ondulating snake around human or other animal heads as a motif appears on some Romanesque Scandinavian fonts -- it is not clear whether or not the 'moulding' here was meant to represent the reptile]. Noted and illustrated in Thurlby (2006). The entry for this church in COFLEIN [www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/309895/details/st-llawddogs-church-cenarth] [accessed 3 July 2019] notes: "The current font is late twelfth to early thirteenth century in date, and was removed from St Tysilio's Church, Llandisiliogogo (NPRN 400361) in the nineteenth century. It has a circular bowl with wave-moulding and four human masks in relief, and is similar to the fonts at St Sulien's Church, Silian (NPRN 402554) and St Patrick's Church, Pencarreg (NPRN 418382). Measurements are given as 52in circumference, 14in external diameter, and 12in depth. The four masks (one is a pair, making five in all) are described as being equidistant and enclosed within a serpentine moulding. Two of the masks are described as rising slightly above the edge of the font, whilst the other three heads, one of which droops slightly to the left, do not reach the edge. The Church's original font had a square bowl with scalloping, and is thought to date to the thirteenth century. In 1913 it was visible in the garden of the Vicarage, but was subsequently removed to St John's Church, Sarnau, and later to St Michael's Church, Penbryn (NPRN 105363). "