Epsom / Ebbesham / Ebbisham / Ebesham / Ebsame / Ebsham / Eppesham / Epsham / Evesham

There is an entry for Epsom [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2161/epsom/] [accessed 16 December 2015]; it mentions two churches in it. A font is reported in Epsom Church in Manning & Bray (1804-1814). Brayley (1850) reports that two churches at 'Ebesham' are mentioned in Domesday (1086), but admits that "nothing, however, is now known of the second church". Brayley (ibid.) quotes from Maning & Bray [cf. supra] a description of a font; the font belonged to a church that was demolished ca. 1830 "twenty years ago", in Brayley]: "The font, near the west door, is an octagon bason with quaterfoils [sic] on the sides, supported by an octagon pillar." That appears to be the same font which Brayley (ibid.) reports at the new Church of St. Martin: "The font, which is octagonal, and stands on a similar column, with niches at the sides, is ornamented with quatrefoils and varied central devices." Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. The Victoria County History (Surrey, vol. 3, 1911) notes: "Under the tower is a 15th-century font; it is octagonal with quatrefoiled sides to the bowl and a hollowed under-edge on which are carved heads, a shield, a fish, &c." [NB: the VCH (ibid.) reports a 19th-century font in the nearby chapel of Chist Church]. [NB: we have no information on the earlier fonts of the churches noted in Domesday]