Selham / Seleham

Described in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a tub-shaped baptismal font of the Norman period. Noted in Harrison (1920): "The 11th c. font, an immense bowl formed from a single stone (diameter, 31ins.), rests on a low hexagonal base." The Victoria County History (Sussex, vol. 4, 1953) notes: "The chancel and nave are of the 11th century, the chapel was added probably in the 14th [...] The font is tub-shaped, probably coeval with the church, it rests on a low hexagonal base and has a plain oak cover of the 17th or 18th century." The VCH interior plan of the church shows the font in the northwest corner of the nave. Described in Whiteman (1994): "A large tub font (c.1100) sits on a hexagonal base". Described and illustrated by Trish Steel (2007) [www.geograph.org.uk/photo/354177] [accessed 29 January 2010]: "The huge Norman tub shaped font is 31 inches in diameter and 24 inches deep - large enough for an infant's immersion. The oak cover dates from the 17th or maybe the 18th century. The tub stands on a hexagonal base which is 13th century." The CRSBI (2008) notes the basins at Selham, Bignor and Waldron as possible cognates.