Titchwell / Tigeswella / Tiguindella / Tiquiuella

There are two entries for Titchwell [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TF7643/titchwell/] [accessed 9 April 2014], but no mention of a church or cleric in either of them. Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "The Church is dedicated to St. Mary, and is a rectory. It is a single pile, covered with thatch, and the chancel is tiled: at the west end is a round tower of flint, with a shaft covered with lead. [...] the patronage is in Eton college. [...] The abbot of Ibrey in Normandy, had the patronage in the reign of Edward I [i.e., 1272-1307] when the rector had a manse, with 30 acres of land [...] and the aforesaid abbot had also a portion of tithe" [NB: Blomefield (ibid.) makes no reference to a church here prior to that period, but the round tower and the chancel are surely Norman/Late-Norman]. Bell (1927) lists an 1839 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 water-colour of this font by Miles Edmund Cotman in the Bulwer Collection: "Font in a garden at Fincham, anciently in the Church of Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk." The Saxonshore Benefice web site [www.saxonshorebenefice.fsnet.co.uk] informs that: "The old 11th century 'tub' font [...] had been serving the purpose of drinking-trough in a field outside. It was restored to its proper use and given a new base in 1890. Before the restoration of the Norman font the pedestal font, now standing in the north corner of the chancel, had been used. This font was originally in Burnham Deepdale Church at the time when its famous 'Seasons" font [cf. Index entry for Burnham Deepdale] was alienated from the church, but on its recovery and restoration, this 18th century font was passed to Titchwell Church by the Rector of Deepdale." Pevsner & Wilson (1999) mention two fonts in this church: "Octagonal C12 bowl on a C19 spiral-fluted base, the bowl so worn that it appears circular. Also a stone baluster font of 1798, used as a flower vase (in chancel, originally from Burnham Deepdale)." Illustrated in Knott (2005), who writes: "In common with many otther churches around here, St Mary has a Norman tub font. It is a bit weathered, because it spent several centuries in the churchyard being used as a horse trough. The elegant 18th century font in the sanctuary served its purpose at the time,as it had also done at nearby Burnham Deepdale during that church's famous font's sojourn in a rectory garden." The Norman font consists of the original roughly cylindrical basin, decorated with incised lines at the upper and lower ends that give the impression of mouldings; as indicated above, the cylindrical stem and the square lower base are both from 1890. [NB: the 18th-century font in this church is not included in this Index on account of its late date]