Lydford No. 1 / Hildaforda / Hlydanforda / Lideford / Lideforde / Lidefort / Lidford / Lyghatford / Tideford

There are two entries for this Lydford [variant spellings] in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SX5084/lydford/] [accessed 22 December 2018] neither of which mentions cleric or church in it. The Antiquary (issue No. 34, vol. 6, October 1882: 169) reports on an visit to Lidford St. Petrock's and reports "the plain cylindrical font dates probably from Saxon times". Worthy (1887) reports "a small but very curious and ancient font of granite of apparently Early English date", and refers to Rowe's comment [cf. infra] on the fonts possible Saxon pedigree. Described in Kelly's 'Directory of Devon' of 1893: "the circular granite font is a curious work of Early English date". [source: www.dartmoorpress.clara.net/indexplyd.html for Mike Brown's transcription]. Noted In Stabb (1908) as "apparently of Early English date." Stabb cites Rowe (1848): "it is of such antique simplicity that it may have been coeval with the departed glories of Lydford in Saxon times." Described and illustrated in Clarke (1913), who dates it to the Norman period and described the material of the bucket-shaped basin as polyphant. Clarke (ibid.) informs that the basin and the short base are two separate pieces cemented together, as is the square lower base on which they stand. Not mentioned in Pevsner (1952). The entry for this church in the CRSBI (2018) notes: "The plain font is the only 12thc. feature. [...] Located at the W end of the S aisle. The font has a damaged square base, a short stem formed from several shaped blocks, and a plain, tub-shaped, lead-lined bowl. Heavy tooling marks are visible on the bowl. There are lead-filled holes on W and E, and crude mortar repairs at the top and bottom of the stem. The whole sits on a square modern plinth." Described and illustrated in the Britannia gateway [http://www.britannia.com/history/devon/churches/lympstone2.html] [accessed 3 March 2009]: "An amateur of churches in 1840, a Mr Davidson, writes in lnghand: 'the font is very ancient, a large rude circular stone basin ornamented with a rude cable moulding round it resting on a pillar of nearly the same size'. There is now no pillar, and the font is much damaged since it was used as a flower bed in the churchyard after 1864. The cable moulding remains, however, and has been carved with an ax, and would appear to be Norman. The stone is difficult to identify." [cf. Index entry for Lydford No. 2 for a holy-water stoup of the same period in this church]