Ratley / Rotelei

There is an entry for Ratley [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SP3847/ratley/] [accessed 13 January 2015], but it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. The Victoria County History (Warwick, vol. 5, 1949) notes: "Thomas de Arderne in 1286 granted the advowson of Ratley church to the Abbey of Stoneleigh [...] The whole fabric, except the 15th-century porch, dates from the 14th century but the foundations may be partly on the lines of an earlier building. It was begun about 1340 and continued in several spells, finishing with the top stage of the tower, which is late-14th-century work [...] The font, probably medieval, is very plain: the bowl is octagonal and tapers downwards; the round stem and base are modern." English Heritage [Listing NGR: SP3834547334] (1967) reports: "font has plain octagonal bowl, possibly recut, on renewed stem". A smallish octagonal basin with plain tapering sides, totally devoid of ornamentation; may have been re-cut, if the original was from the medieval church; modern pedestal base; modern wooden cover, pyramidal.