Biggleswade / Bicheleswade / Bichelesworde / Bickleswade / Bykeleswade

The Victoria County History (Bedford, vol. 2. 1908) notes: "The earliest part of the church appears to be at the west end of the nave, where the eastern arch of the tower shows details of c. 1300 [...] No other features in the nave are earlier than 1340 [...] The font at the west end of the nave has a plain bowl on an octagonal panelled stem with emblems of the crucifixion carved on it." Noted in Pevsner (1968): "Font. Perp[endicular] shaft with simple tracery motif." The baptismal font consists of a modern octagonal basin decorated with an acanthus vine at the upper rim, and one of the sides the IHS symbol [the other sides appear to be blank]; plain underbowl chamfer; the basin is late, probably Victorian; the badly worn octagonal pedestal base has double panels (up-and-down) with a variety of tracery [and?] symbols; it appears very worn and damage, as if it had had a long exposure to the elements. The wooden cover is a nice imitation (?) of the pyramidal type with cusped arises.