West Stafford / Stafford West

Image copyright © Gerald Duke, 2008
Standing permission
Results: 9 records
view of church exterior - south door
view of church exterior - south view
view of church exterior - southwest view
view of church interior - looking west
view of font - front side
view of font - plan, elevation, section and sketch
view of font - right side
view of font and cover
INFORMATION
FontID: 06675STA
Church/Chapel: Parish Church of St. Andrew
Church Patron Saints: St. Andrew
Country Name: England
Location: Dorset, South West
Directions to Site: Located in the Frome valley, just E of Dorchester
Font Location in Church: Inside the church, in the W end S side, by the entrance
Century and Period: 13th - 14th century, Decorated
Credit and Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Gerald Duke, of www.martinstown.co.uk, and to Robin Adeney and The Dorset Historic Churches Trust [www.dorsethistoricchurchestrust.co.uk], for the photograph of this font
Church Notes: A suggestion is made in several web sources that the church at West Stafford is the likely marriage place of Tess and Angel Clare in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urberville's.
Font Notes: Click to view font notes
Noted in Barnes (1891): "Font: ancient, possibly 14th century. Looks as if an intermediate member, octagonal in form, had been removed from between the basin and base." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Decorated period. Noted in Long (1923) as one of about half-dozen known examples belonging to the Decorated [or 'Second Pointed'] period in Dorset [NB: these include: Hampreston, Nether Compton, West Stafford and Winterborne Compton, as well as the basin of Durweston and, perhaps, Woolland]; this font, adds Long (ibid.), is "devoid of all ornament". Illustrated in The Dorset Historic Churches Trust [http://dorsethistoricchurchestrust.co.uk]. Described and fully illustrated in Gerald Duke [www.martinstown.co.uk]. [We are grateful to Gerald Duke, of www.martinstown.co.uk, for the information on, and photographs of this font and church]
MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS
Material:
stone
Font Shape: octagonal (mounted)
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: octagonal
Rim Thickness: 7 cm*
Diameter (inside rim): 53 cm*
Diameter (includes rim): 67 cm*
Basin Depth: 28 cm*
Basin Total Height: 35 cm*
Height of Base: 49 cm*
Font Height (less Plinth): 84 cm*
Notes on Measurements: * [all measurements courtesy of Gerald Duke [www.martinstown.co.uk]]
LID INFORMATION
Date: 17th century?
Material:
wood,
oak
Apparatus: no
Notes: pyramidal octagonal, with crocketed arrises and finial
REFERENCES
Barnes, W. Miles, "A brief historical & descriptive sketch of the churches in the rural deanery of Dorchester (Dorchester portion)", XII, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1891, pp. [36]-70; r["References"]
Cox, John Charles, English Church Furniture, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1907
Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, London: H.M. Stationary Office, 1970
Long, E.T., "Dorset church fonts", 44, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 1923, pp. 62-76; r["References"]