Holbeton

Described in Lysons (1806-1822) as a square baptismal font decorated "with rude figures of animals". Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as having a baptismal font of the Norman period. Clarke (1922) describes it as one nine Devon 'table fonts' (Bondleigh, Hennock, Holbeton, Honiton Clyst, Mariansleigh, North Lew, Petrockstowe, Roseash and Washfield) that belong to the thirteenth century, "though the ornament on the bowls is of that date their heavy construction suggests a Norman origin, so that they have often been wrongly attributed to the twelfth century". Noted in Pevsner (152): "Norman, square, with flat bowl. On two sides blank arches with block capitals between upright and arch, on the two others two lions and a tree between, and a pattern of two leaf panels." [cf. Index entry for Clyst Honiton for a full description, measurements and illustration of this type of font] [NB: Jenkins (2000) mentions only a "Victorian font"]