Chaldon Herring / Caluedone [Domesday] / Calvedone / Celvedune / Chalden Herring / Chaldon Hearynge / Chaluedon Hareng / Chalvedon / East Chaldon

There are three entries for Chaldon [Herring] and [West] Chaldon in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/XX0000/chaldon-herring-and-west-chaldon/] [accessed 29 May 2020], one of which, in the tenancy and lodship of "Bolla the priest" in 1086, reports "3 churches. 1.5 church lands" in it. Hutchins (1861-1873) writes: "The font is of great antiquity; its deep, upright, circular bowl stands upon two square steps of Purbeck marble. It may possibly be Saxon." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the early Norman period. Reported as a Saxon font in Holmes (1922). Noted in Long (1923) as one of two Saxon font in Dorset [the other at Melbury Bubb]. Mee (1939) notes that it "is believed to be Saxon; it was discovered in a farmyard and brought back to the church in our own time." A more conservative dating is given in The Powys Society web site [www.powys-lannion.net/Powys/StNichls/Leaflet.htm], where a 12th-century dating is suggested, and that "it was found in the grounds of the Vicarage and replaced in the church in 1897. It is a plain cylindrical bowl with later mortices for staples" [for the cover]. The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SY7900783111] notes: "Parish Church. C14 origin, partly rebuilt and enlarged in C19. [...] C12 font, of plain cylindrical form." A full description and illustrations of this font are available at Gerald Duke's web site[www.martinstown.co.uk. There is a Victorian font as well in this church [not listed in this Index on accoun of its late date].