Littleover

INFORMATION

Font ID: 11559LIT
Object Type: Baptismal Font1
Font Century and Period/Style: 12th century, Norman
Church / Chapel Name: Parish Church of St. Peter, Littleover
Font Location in Church: Inside, W end of the S aisle
Church Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26576282
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Peter
Church Address: Church St, Littleover, Derby DE23 6GF, United Kingdom -- Tel.: +44 1332 767802
Site Location: Derbyshire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom
Directions to Site: Located on Church Street [Littleover is now part of the Outer Derby, 3-4 km SW off the city centre]
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Derby
Additional Comments: restored font [cf. FontNotes]
Font Notes:
The 'Derby UK Guide to the City of Derby' [www.derbyshireuk.net/derby/littleover_church.html] notes a baptismal font of the Norman period in this church. The font is listed and illustrated in the CRSBI [https://www.crsbi.ac.uk/view-item?i=114138] [accessed 22 June 2025]: "The font stands to the W of the S doorway in the S nave aisle. It consists of a cylindrical bowl chamfered at the upper and lower rims on a cylindrical stem with a modern rectangular step. The rim has a staple surviving at the S and a large inserted repair at the N, indicating the removal of a second staple. It is lined with lead [...] It is suggested by Wright that the font may be 11thc. Hartwell calls it 'supposedly Norman', and the list description simply calls it Norman. Its sheer bulk suggests an early 12thc date. There is little evidence to date the reset doorway beyond the slight chamfer which might suggest the second half of the 12thc rather than the first."

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Font Shape: cylindrical, mounted
Basin Interior Shape: round
Basin Exterior Shape: round
Drainage Notes: lead-lined
Rim Thickness: 15.5 cm [calculated]
Diameter (inside rim): 51 cm*
Diameter (includes rim): 82 cm*
Basin Total Height: 46 cm*
Height of Base: 41 cm*
Font Height (less Plinth): 87 cm*
Font Height (with Plinth): 128 cm [calculated]
Notes on Measurements: * CRSBI [cf. FntNotes]

REFERENCES

  • Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. URL: http://www.crsbi.ac.uk.