Litlington nr. Royston / Lidlintone / Lidtingtone

There are two entries for this Litlington [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://opendomesday.org/place/TL3142/litlington/] [accessed 7 June 2016], neither of which mentions cleric or church in it. The Victoria County History (Cambridge..., vol. 8, 1982) notes: "The parish church belonged in the early 12th century to the earls of Gloucester. About 1168 Earl William granted it to his newly founded abbey of Keynsham (Som.) [...] The oldest surviving parts include a narrow lancet over a blocked 13th-century doorway in the western part of the south wall of the chancel, which was probably only later extended eastwards to its present length. [...] The octagonal font is 15th-century". A photograph of one of the sides of this font appears in ARCHISEEK [http://www.archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=5898] [accessed 4 November 2007] accompanied by the following caption: "Here, the angels on the baptismal font at Litlington defaced by the "Bedlam Dowsing" on 14 March 1644". The entry for 14 March 1644 in Dowsing's notorious diary does not report any actions taken on the font at Litlington's church; instead, it is believed that the font may have already been defaced by the parishioners themselves motivated by their Puritan sympathies [the reference to Dowsing's entry is cited also in the Guilden Morden Parish Council site [www.guildenmorden.gov.uk/dowsing.htm]]. The font is described in the Cambridgeshire Churches web site [www.druidic.org/camchurch]: "Also worthy of attention in the nave is unusual font. It has a square top with an unusually shallow bowl -- the shape is reminiscent of the square capitals of Corinthian columns, though with angels at the corners rather than acanthus leaves." Also of inerest is the slplaying octagonal lower base, each side adorned with a different motif.