Fen Ditton / Dittone

No entry found for Fen Ditton in the Domesday survey. Paley's Guide (1844) reports: "excellent Perpendicular font, with mutilated shields bearing arms". Kelly's Directory of the county for 1929 notes a baptismal font from the late-Decorated period, "which bears shields of arms". Noted in Pevsner (1970): "Font. Octagonal, Perp[endicular], with angels in enriched quatrefoils, holding shields. One has been identified as that of Bishop Arundel, which would date the font between 1374 and 1388." [cf. Index entry for Waterbeach, Cambs]. Described and illustrated in the RCHM (1972): Font: [...] octagonal, clunch with lead-lied bowl, each face with spurred quatrefoil panels enclosing demi-angels carrying shields, three of which are mutilated, the other five bearing the arms of: See of Ely (three crowns), the Trinity (a pall within a border with four roundels at the intersections), unidentified (Greek cross), Bohun (a bend between six lions passant), Arundel (quareterly 1 and 4 a lion passant in bend, 2 and 3 checky); trhe lions on the two last-mentioned shields are shown conventionally. Beneath the bowl are paterae, woman's head with square head-dress, lions' heads and leaves; the octagonal stem which has two trefoiled panels in each face stands on a flared base, and in turn on a stepped plinth of 1872 [...] On heraldic evidence the font may be dated within the Ely episcopacy of Thomas Arundel, 1374-88." The Victoria County History (Cambridge, vol. 10, 2002) notes: "Fen Ditton church, built in the 12th century, is first recorded in 1217. […] The building […] includes some 12th-century masonry. […] The church's octagonal font dates from the 14th century."