Abbess Roding No. 1 / Abbots Roothing / Abbess Roothing / Roinges

Lewis' 1831 Dictionary entry for this church states: "The church contains an ancient font of lead, on a pedestal of stone" [NB: there is no confirmation of this being a lead font anywhere else. Was it a reference or mistake due to the iron girders?]. Noted in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923) as one of "a curious group of four square bowls (Abbess Roding, Fryerning, Little Laver [...] and Moreton), somewhat rudely carved with various designs including the sun, moon, stars, whorl (for a comet?), etc. [...] square bowl with carved sides, N. and W. with scrolled foliage, E. with large flowers, S. with crescent, disc, whorl, two circles with flowers, etc.; circular stem with four small shafts, square base with moulded edge, late 12th-century, bowl bound with iron." Described in the Victoria County History (Essex, vol. 4,1956): "The plan indicates a 12thcentury origin and the dedication suggests that there was a church here before the Norman Conquest. [...] The position of the north and south doorways suggests that the nave was originally built in the 12th century. The font is of the late 12th century and is similar in type to others in the neighbourhood [...] The square bowl, which is bound with iron, has vine ornament carved on two sides and conventionalized flowers on another. On the fourth side appear the disk, crescent, whorl, and stars which are characteristic of these fonts. The stem is circular and has small angle shafts." [The VCH (ibid.) gives the fonts at Moreton, Little Laver and Fryerning as being of the same type]. In Bettley & Pevsner (2007). The basin sides are badly damaged and there is an iron band holding them together; the base is a reconstruction, mostly modern except, perhaps, the square lower base. [cf. Index entry for Abbess Roding No. 2 for a later stoup in this church]