Tisbury

Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Transitional period. Noted in Whyte (1910): "The font stands in the north-west corner, and is a thirteenth century one re-tooled. It stands on a central column and four detached shafts and modern steps. There is a seventeenth century pyramidal cover carved and painted, which is carried by a chain on a wheel supported by an iron bracket from the wall. The painting and gilding on the cover is copied from remains of the original decoration, which was found when the later paint, which imitated oak, was removed. The font was removed from its present position to one by the south door about 1850, and was replaced in the restoration carried out under the late Mr. W. Slater, architect." There is an illustration of this font in the Charles Edward Ban' The History of Martha's Vineyard ( Vol. 1 of 3. Boston: George H Dean, 1911). Only the cover is noted in Pevsner & Cherry (1975): "C17, with Flamboyant, i.e. Gothic-. Revival decoration." The Victoria County History (Wiltshire, vol. 13, 1987) notes: "References to the abbot of Tisbury in the 8th century [...] imply that there was then a church at Tisbury. From then until the early 12th century, when one was unequivocally mentioned, [...] a church may have stood there continuously. The oldest part of the present church is of the late 12th century. [...] The church of St. John the Baptist was so called in 1420. [...] he oldest parts of the building are the late 12th-century crossing and late 12th-century parts of the walls of the transepts." There is no mention of a font in the VCH entry for this parish. Noted in the Wiltshire Community History web site [http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=659] [accessed 1 September 2008]: "the font is also 13th century, although it has been recarved and has a 17th century cover."