Slaugham / Slacham / Slagham

The font is not mentioned in Hussey (1852). Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as one of the most interesting of the twenty-nine baptismal fonts of the Norman period in this county that have square bowls; "[it] has on one side, in the arcaded work, the incised figure of a fish, the well-known symbol of our Lord". Harrison (1920) notes: "font, late Nor[man], with rude carving of a fish, etc." Listed in Tyrrell-Green (1928) as one of the old baptismal fonts ornamented with fish "typifying Christ or the Christian". Noted in the Victoria County History (Sussex, vol. 7, 1940): "The font is of late-12th-century date, made of Sussex marble. It has a square, slightly tapering bowl: the north and south sides of it are treated with four very shallow round-headed panels; on the east face is carved a fish, and on the west three sprays with voluted tendrils, all in very low relief. The stem is cylindrical and surrounded by four round shafts: the base is moulded and common to both the stem and the shafts." Described and illustrated in the CRSBI (2008) with dating to the late 12th century, and noting that the decoration on the north and south sides consist of "thin stems each issuing two pairs of symmetrical scrolls, in a manner reminiscent of ironwork". Described and illustrated in Whiteman (1994): "The font is typically Norman, a square bowl on a central column with supporting corner shafts; unique in Sussex is the decoration, one side having a carving of a fish." The large 'fish' [it actually looks like a whale, therefore a mammal, a cetacean rather than a fish proper] motif occupies the full east side of the basin side; the west side has three tree or plant symbols; the north and south sides have a blind arcade of four round arches on each side; the base consists of a broad central and four slender angle colonnettes; there is evidence of repairs to the upper rim area, the kind of damage usually associated with the metal staples of the old cover; the basin is raised on a moulded lower base, a common style of support in this table-top font design. The wooden cover is square and has metal decorations and handle; appears modern. The font is made of 'Sussex marble' [i.e., a local limestone] and stands on a modern plinth. The flat wooden lid with metal reinforcements is probably modern.