Otterham No. 1 / Otrham / Ottram / Sen Tenia

Cox (1912) writes: "bowl of a font in rectory garden, and possibly base of one now in use are of same period" [i.e., 12th-13th century?]. Noted in Pevsner (1970) as the font in use in this church, "plain, octagonal." Illustrated in the Boscastle web site [www.boscastlecornwall.org.uk]: baptismal font of the medieval period consisting of an octagonal basin with plain vertical sides and tall chamfer, raised on a plain octagonal pedestal and a square lower base decorated with spurs at the angles. The whole is raised on a quadrangular plinth. [NB: the upper half of the basin appears to have been re-tooled or drastically cleaned, and is, as pointed in Cox above, of a later date than the base]. Pevsner (ibid.) mentions the remains of an older font in this church. The British Listed Buildings site [www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-68785-church-of-st-denis-otterham-] [accessed 31 January 2013] notes: "Possibly circa C13 font, heavily restored with octagonal shaft, unlined bowl and square base. Remains of two probably Norman fonts at west end of nave, one with round bowl and the other with an hexagonal bowl." [cf. Index entry for Otterham No. 2]