Cuckfield

Illustrated in The Journal of the British Archaeological Association (issue of March 1886: 304). Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Early English period. Harrison (1920) assigns the font to the same period, early-13th century, and mentions it has been restored. Harrison (ibid.) further notes two holy-water stoups: one in the south porch, the other inside tyhe church. The Victoria County History (Sussex, vol. 7, 1940) notes: "The church of Cuckfield was granted to the Priory of St. Pancras at Lewes by William de Warenne between 1091 and 1098. [...] Foundations of a probably 12th-century church have been traced below the floor. [...] Enlargement began about 1250 [...] A great increase in size took place about 1330–40 [...] restored in the middle of the 19th century [...] The font has a round bowl which has been broken, patched, reworked, and relined with lead: it may be of the 13th century: it is carried on modern shafts. [...] In the south wall east of the main south doorway is a mutilated holy-water stoup with a round-headed niche, and in the south porch is another." Described in Whiteman (1994): "The tub-shaped font (restored) is 13th-century". [NB: the 'Boyer Study Group Newsletter #19 of January 1998 writes: "Apparently the church at Cuckfield has an ancient font too, cracked by a kicking horse belonging to one of Cromwell's soldiers." -- source: www.bowyer.org.uk/newsletter/ -- the original source of this info *may* be Arthur Mee]. Noted in the CRSBI (2008) entry for Heyshott St. James', as one in a group of "fonts with moulded capitals which form part of a square bowl" [the CRSBI includes in this group the fonts at Cuckfield, Heyshott, Iford, Ripe, Slindon, West Hoathly and Woodmancote"].