Ashtead / Akestede / Ashted / Ashstead / Ashstede / Asshested / Stede

There is an entry for Ashtead [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1858/ashtead/] [accessed 16 December 2015], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. Allen (1831) writes: "The font is an octagon basin, with quatrefoils on the sides, on a pillar of the same, carved in niches." In Brayley (1850): "The font, octagonal, ancient, large, and massive, stands near the south door in the centre of the church: it is ornamented with quatrefoils, and rests on an octagonal pillar." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a noteworthy baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. Noted in the Victoria County History (Surrey, vol. 3, 1911): "The church of Ashtead is mentioned in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas [...] In 1291 the tithes were held by the executors of the will of William de Montfort [...] A number of Roman bricks mixed with the flint and stone of the south wall of the nave, and a window on the north side with Roman bricks in the head (as at Fetcham), removed in 1862, suggest an early origin for the building, and there is a slight change in the walling west of the south doorway and porch, pointing to the lengthening of the nave before the tower was added. The chancel is not set square with the nave, but bends southward, and was probably rebuilt in the 13th century [...] the octagonal font is of the 15th century, with quatrefoiled panels on the bowl inclosing roses and shields; on the chamfer beneath are carved faces and shields alternately; the stem is also panelled and the base moulded, and over it is a tall, modern oak canopy."