Bedale

There is an entry for Bedale in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/SE2688/bedale/] [accessed 25 November 2019]; it reports a church in it. Glynne's visit of 18 April 1842 (in Butler, 2007) reports: "The font is modern, bearing the date 1707." Whellan (1859) notes a font of Caen stone ''finely executed, and has a new carved oak top, which works upon a swivel'', but gives no information on its date. This source notes that the church itself, though renovated in 1854, ''appears to have been built in the time of Edward III'' [1327-1377]. Baptismal font consisting of an octagonal basin with vertical sides decorated with a deeply carved cinquefoil arch on each side, the spandrels with added tracery; the upper basin side has foliage motifs all around below a running inscription, while the lower one has a crenellated moulding; graded underbowl chamfer and octagonal pedestal base with attached colonnettes at the angles; splaying lower base and plinth, both octagonal as well. The font appears to be of the 19th century, in the neo-Gothic style, unless it is an older font totally re-cut. [NB: Bulmer's Directory of 1890 remarks that the present church is Early English [Edward I reign] and adds: ''An earlier church had occupied the site, which was standing when Domesday Book was compiled, A.D. 1086. This Saxon edifice appears to have been completely taken down when the present church was erected, leaving scarcely a trace behind. What may he supposed to be the only remains of it is part of a tomb bearing sculpture of undoubted Saxon character. On the sides are carved rude representations of the Crucifixion in a tree; the temptation of Eve by a serpent with a human face; and two serpents interlaced biting their tails. A portion of another stone, somewhat similar, was found in digging a grave in the church, and in the churchyard some fragments of a cross, bearing elaborate knot-work with rope border". The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (York North Riding, vol. 1, 1914) notes: "There was a church at Bedale in 1086 [...] The building is of very great interest, but has been so thoroughly dealt with by the modern restorer that there is hardly any internal masonry which has not been retooled. The plan of the nave is doubtless that of an aisleless building of the 12th century or perhaps earlier, and the west end of the north wall of the chancel may contain work of the same date"; there is no mention of a font in it, but a polygonal font appears in the VCH illustration captioned "Interior of Tower, showing Doorway to Vice". Also in the VCH entry is a reference to some early sculpture in the crypt: "two fragments of Saxon work; one appears to be part of a column 2 ft. high by 4 ft. in circumference, ornamented by vertical cable mouldings, between which are interlaced patterns, the other is a small carving apparently of our Lady with the Child." The entry for Bedale in the Megalithic site [www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=26848] [accessed 25 November 2019] illustrates the stones and notes: "St Gregory's Church at Bedale, near Northallerton, stands on an Anglo-Saxon site though the present church is 13th century. Kept under lock and key in the crypt under the chancel are two of the four Saxon/Norse stone fragments which remain. These stones used to be kept in the church, but one was stolen and North Yorkshire Police recommended moving them to the crypt. One stone (now missing, perhaps in Durham Cathedral's collection?) has two serpents with their tongues forming the interlacing, while a figure, possibly Christ, looks on at the side with his hand raised. Another stone (still displayed) has a figure intertwined amongst interlacing. This figure, or half a figure, has a double circle at the top of the torso - forming a round aperture. The figure could be the mythical Norse character Wayland the Smith. These two stones may have been part of a Saxon/Viking cross or a gravestone, dating from the 8th-10th century. The other two arched-shaped stones may have come from the ends of an hogsback tombstone, again about the 9th century. One (now missing) has what is probably a crucifixion scene, with Christ and two figures at either side, perhaps the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. Or could this, in fact, be a depiction of The Tree of Life. At the far left-hand side an odd-shaped dove of peace with a human face. The second stone, also arched-shaped, has what could be diamond shapes or chevrons and below that some swirls." [NB: we have no information of the earlier fonts(s) of either church].