Abbot's Bickington

Results: 1 records

INFORMATION

Font ID: 10381ABB
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 12th - 13th century, Medieval
Cognate Fonts: The fonts at Bulkworthy, West Putford and Abbot's Bickington are rather similar and may have been made by the same hand according to Clarke (1915: 354)
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. James
Font Location in Church: Moved inside the church, in the tower ca. 1915 [earlier in the churchyard]
Church Patron Saint(s): St. James
Site Location: Devon, South West, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located off (W) the A388, 15-16 km SSW of Bideford
Additional Comments: abandoned font / rescude font: broken into pieces and left in the churchyard -- receovered into the church ca. 1915
Font Notes:
Described in Clarke (1915): "This font was for some time lying in a broken condition in the churchyard; quite recently it was rescued and placed in the tower. Although it is broken most of the parts are preserved, so it ought not to be difficult to repair it very satisfactorilyl; it is hoped this will soon be done and that it will be restored to use, instead of the poor modern font now in the church. It consists of a plain bowl -at present in three pieces- with a cable at the lower edge, with a plain strip beneath, as at West Putford [cf. Index entry]; there is a thick shaft, which it was surprise to find is hollow, an absolute cylinder." Described in Pevsner (1952) as: Font. Norman, circular, with only a little cable decoration; very damaged."

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: tub-shaped, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: round
Rim Thickness: 6.5 cm [calculated]
Diameter (inside rim): 37.5 cm*
Diameter (includes rim): 50 cm*
Basin Depth: 22.5 cm*
Basin Total Height: 31.25 cm*
Height of Base: 42.5 cm*
Height of Central Column: 36.75 cm*
Font Height (less Plinth): [73.75 cm [calculated]]
Notes on Measurements: *[measurements given in inches in Clarke (1915: 356)]

REFERENCES

  • Clarke, Kate M., "The baptismal fonts of Devon -- Part III", 47, Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art, 1915, pp. 349-356; p. 353-354, 356
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus, North Devon, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1952, p. [37]