St. Mawgan / Mawgan-in-Pydar / Mawgan-in-Pyder / Saint Mawgan

Noted in Lysons (1806-1833) as one of a group of remarkable fonts in this county. This font, however, does not belong to the group of earlier Cornish fonts, but to a later series of fonts made in the general shape of the early Bormin, Roche, etc. types. The shape is still the cauldron basin with four outer heads which serve as capitals of the colonnettes that 'suspend' it at 90-degree angles, with a thicker shaft as main support in the centre; there is a band of zigzag motif around the upper basin side, between the colonnettes, and each side of the basin is decorated with a large blank shield. Described in Cox (1912): "Font, of Pentewan stone, is a comparatively plain example of late Norm[an], type of Bodmin and St. Austell, shafts below angle-heads are new, rim has zigzag ornament, and there are 4 uncharged shields on bowl." Noted in Pevsner (1970): "Font. On five supports, with circular bowl. The corners with faces, the four sides with a zigzag top border and shields below (cf. St Wen, Crantock, St Columb Minor)." Pevsner does not suggest a date for the font and, if Lysons had not noted the font, one might assume that it was late Victorian by looking at it. Noted in Rees (2003) as Norman.