Tortington / Tortintone / Torton / Tortyngton

Rouse (1825) mentions a font at Torton [sic] church, "well deserving inspection". Noted in Hussey (1852): The font is late Norm[an]. Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Norman period. Harrison (1920) notes: "The Nor[man] font has cable moulding with arcading. Described in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as an early baptismal font with high-relief ornamentation; among the motifs, a rope moulding. Tyrrell-Green (ibid.) lists it as a Norman font the basin of which is decorated with an "arcade in relief, imitating closely the structural arcade of the period". Described in Whiteman (1994) as a "large bowl-shaped font carved with arcading and columns", dated from the 12th century and made of Caen stone. Described and illustrated by Johnston (ca. 1900?): "The font, which is coeval with the chancel arch, has a circular bowl set upon a moulded pedestal (the lower part modern), giving it something, the shape of a chalice. It is in Caen stone and the bowl is finished at the top with a cable moulding, beneath which is an arcade of twelve circular arches, furnished alternately with little shafts-diminutive Norman columns, with capitals and bases--and a bunch of conventional foliage bearing some resemblance to the Greek honeysuckle." This last source gives the font at nearby Binstead as "somewhat similar" [source: http://sussexchurches.co.uk/tortington.htm]. The Victoria County History, Sussex (Sussex, vol. 5, pt. 1, 1997) notes: "The font of Caen stone, of the 12th century, is richly decorated with a cable moulding and arcading with foliage." Listed in the The Churches Conservation Trust [www.visitchurches.org.uk] with date of the 12th century. Described and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008) with suggested date ca. 1150. The CRSBI (ibid.) refers to a local church guide which "compares the font with one at Bishop's Teignton, Devon" and adds: "'PG, p. 154' in GZ's index cards [i.e., George Zarnecki] suggests this belongs to a group of fonts (including Honiton,South Molton, Dun[kes?]well and Luppitt) from a centre of manufacture in Dorset. GZ [id.] added Bishop's Teignton and Blackhawton, Devon."