Kerry No. 1 / Ceri

Described in Rowley-Morris (1891) as a hansome font of the Perpendicular period "which has its panels ornamented with the emblems of the Passion [...] The font is octagonal in form, with cusped panels on the sides, containing emblems of the Crucifixion and heraldic designs. It appears to be of the same stone as the east window, and is well preserved. It was thickly coated with white paint, which was cleared off." Rowley-Morris (ibid.) further notes that the font cover was donated by "V.C. Scholefield. Esq." during the 1883 restoration of this church. Described and illustrated by Peter Lord, in Diwylliant... (1998-2003): "an octagonal font carries on three panels an abbreviated set of the Instruments of the Passion which was confined to symbols associated with the Crucifixion itself. The cross and the nails by which Christ was hung upon it and the lance with which his side was pierced flank the ladder of the Deposition and the pincers used to remove the nails from his hands and feet." [NB: only three panels of the basin are visible in this source image, with images as described by Lord; the corresponding panels of the chamfered underbowl do not seem to related to those of the basin at all: 1)under the cross and nails, a quatrefoil over a pointed window; 2)under the pincers, ladder, crown of thorns and (?), a heart (?) with fruit and leaves stemming from it; 3)under the lance and scourge and pillar (?), a rake-like object]. The CPAT Montgomeryshire Churches Survey Project [www.cpat.demon.co.uk] mentions the font and suggests there may be part of an earlier font that has survived [cf. Index entry for Kerry No. 2].