Wolsingham

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Image copyright © Durham Diocese, 2006

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the font from Wolsingham now in Thornley Village
Scene Description: the font from Wolsingham now in Thornley Village
Copyright Statement: Image copyright © Durham Diocese, 2006
Image Source: digital photograph in www.dur.ac.uk/durham.diocese/parishes/wolsingham
Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION NOT AVAILABLE -- IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

INFORMATION

Font ID: 11534WOL
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 17th century
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. Mary and St. Joseph
Font Location in Church: [now in St. Bartholomew's, in Thornely Village] [cf. FontNotes]
Church Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26526788
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Mary the Virgin & St. Joseph [dedicated to St. Matthew at some point?]
Church Address: [NB; address & coordinates given for Wolsingham] Wolsingham, Bishop Auckland DL13 3AJ, United Kingdom -- Tel: +44 1388 527340
Site Location: Durham, North East, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Wolsingham is located in Weardale, between between Crook and Stanhope -- Thornley is located 13 km E of Wolsingham
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Durham
Additional Comments: recycled font: the medieval font sent to a nearby church, a replacement introduced ca. 1848 (?)
Font Notes:
Hutchinson (1823) writes: "The font is of the Weardale marble, beautifully variegated with shells, and other petrefactions." Noted in Mackenzie & Ross (1834) after Hutchinson, but they describe the stone of the font as "Frosterley marble". Reported verbatim after Hutchinson in Lewis' Dictionary of 1848. Fordyce (1857) reports: "the present baptismal font was presented by Lady F. Fitzclarence; and the basement of the original one, which was of Frosterley marble, lies in the church-yard, the pillar and basin having been removed to the church school-room at Tow Law." The Durham Diocese web site [www.dur.ac.uk/durham.diocese] reports: "The original font of Frosterley marble is now in the Parish Church of St. Bartholomew in Thornley Village (four miles to the east of Wolsingham Church) [...] The present simple stone font replaced it with slender shafts in the Early English style, given by a friend of the Hon. J. Grey, Rector." Whellan's Directory of 1856, however, states: "The baptismal font is the gift of Lady F. Fitzclarence." [NB: this font was already in the church at Fordyce's time, ca. 1857 and must have been a recent donation -- it is not clear what happened to the font reported in Fordyce as sent to Tow Law]. [NB: although the fabric of the Wolsingham church goes back to (pre-?) Norman times we have no information on the earlier fonts of this chuurch]. [cf. Index entry for Thornley for a font noted in Fordyce (ibid.) near the porch of Thornley St. Batholomew's]. [NB: Tow Law built its church in 1869]

COORDINATES

UTM: 30U 571993 6065432
Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 54.731, -1.882
Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 54° 43′ 51.6″ N, 1° 52′ 55.2″ W

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone, limestone (Frosterley or Weardale)
Font Shape: hemispheric, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: round

REFERENCES

  • Fordyce, William, The History and Antiquities of the county palatine of Durham; comprising a condensed account of its natural, civil, and ecclesiastical history […], Newcastle, London and Edinburgh: A. Fullarton and Co., 1857, vol. 1: 635, 644
  • Hutchinson, William, The History and Antiquities of the county palatine of Durham, Durham: Printed and published by G. Walker, Sadler Street, 1823, p. 360
  • Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate and Market Towns, Parishes, Chapelries, and Townships, and the Islands of Guernsy, Jersey, and Man, with Historical and Statistical Descriptions [...], London: S. Lewis, 1831, [www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=51422] [accessed 19 March 2007]
  • Mackenzie, Eneas, An historical, topographical, and descriptive view of the county palatine of Durham: comprehending the various subjects of natural, civil, and ecclesiastical geography, agriculture, mines, manufactures […], Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Mackenzie & Dent, 1834, vol. 2:
  • Whellan, [T.?], Whellan's History, Topography and Directory of Durham (and Newcastle), London: [printed for Whellan], 1894, p. 342 (?)