Seaham / Old Seaham

Noted in Mackenzie (1834): "The font is a plain stone basin, the rim ornamented with tracery". Lewis' Dictionary of 1848 reports simply "an elegant font" in this church, without further details. Pevsner (1983) notes: "Twins at Seaham and Dalton-le-Dale look more C17 than medieval" and goes on to describe the font at Seaham St. Mary's: "Circular shaft and bowl with band of leafy scrolls along the top rim (cf. Dalton-le-Dale); late Norman, early C13, or even Restoration. C17 cover." The Sunderland Antiquarian Society website has a description of the font writted by its former president, Henry L. Robson in April 1961 [http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org/religion/] [accessed 19 January 2010]: "The font, standing under the tower arch, is an interesting piece of work. It has a smallish round bowl, resting on a round shaft, and just below the rim of the bowl is a band of ornamentation in the form of a scroll, which seems to consist of dragon-like figures. They have a head at each end, curled up in the form of a spiral. Some authorities have placed this font in the Norman period; but it looks too slender and graceful for that time. It is difficult to date; it may belong to the 13th century, or it may be a Restoration font installed after the year 1660 […] The wooden font cover, also appears to be of Jacobean date."