Sydling St. Nicholas No. 2

Noted in the 3rd ed. of Hutchins (1973 c1861-1874): "The font is a large octagonal stone, resting upon a neat foot or pedestal; the whole perfectly plain and unadorned". [NB: as Duke [cf. infra] points out, this would indicate that the font now being used for baptisms in this church was introduced late in the 19th century, after Hutchins' visits -- the font described in Hutchin is a second font, no longer in use, the basin of which is still kept in the church [cf. Images area]]. Mee (1939) writes of two fonts under the tower arch: "Only the worn bowl of one remains; the font was used in Norman England, and perhaps in Saxon days." Described and illustrated in Geral Duke [www.martinstown.co.uk]. The octagonal basin appears totally plain, octagonal on the outside, round inner well with large drain hole in the centre. [We are grateful to Gerald Duke, of www.martinstown.co.uk, for the information on, and photographs of this font and church] [cf. Index entry for Sydling St. Nicholas No.1 for the early baptismal font now in use in this church]